Ballad of the Sun Prince
by Hope's Voice
Summary: Nico knows he should have died a hundred years ago, when Gaea rose and destroyed the kingdom. And yet, he's still alive and now tasked to carry the burden of a quest that should have been completed a century ago. But the problem is – Nico can't remember anything except his own name. (LoZ/BotW Fusion AU)
1. Awakening

**Ballad of the Sun Prince**

**Summary**: Nico knows he should have died a hundred years ago, when Gaea rose and destroyed the kingdom. And yet, he's still alive and now tasked to carry the burden of a quest that should have been completed a century ago. But the problem is – Nico can't remember anything except his own name.

_Apollo pointed out into the distance, where Nico could see the dark mass swirling around castle. "My son, Will, is fighting alone against Gaea," he said. When Nico turned back to look at him, he could see the regret and pain of a dead man written across his features, and Nico had to swallow something down at the mention of the prince's name: a gurgling of painful feelings that were unfamiliar to him. He looked at the ruined castle again, surrounded by cheerful green meadows, and suddenly, he felt very, very alone._

**Notes: **I'm actually really uncertain if I should post this here as a multichapter, but I've been posting solangelo stuff here since I started and it would be kind of sad, and this wouldn't fit well under my current "one shots" collection. Also I have no idea if this site is dying or if there are some people who still only exclusively use ffnet (which is reasonable bc mature/adult works are filtered much better here for minors, while I can't say the same for ao3).

But speaking of ao3, all my authorial notes are in the notes there, which I won't be transcribing here because it's super long. If you want to read it, find it under the same title by my ao3 username "PorcelainCas" pseudonym "Moons-and-Glassware". The link it on my bio. Otherwise, all you have to know is that this is a solangelo **Legend of Zelda/Breath of the Wild fusion AU**. Spoilers for the games will proceed. You don't need to have played any LoZ games or even BoTW to read and understand this but it does contain game spoilers. Updates bi-weekly (hopefully).

* * *

_The Great Plateau_

Shrine of Resurrection, Present Day

[o]

He thought he heard a voice.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, wincing when light flooded his vision. He closed his eyes again, allowing the glowing blue light to illuminate behind his eyelids persistently until he gave in and blinked his eyes open.

And that was when he realized that the strange glow was coming from the bed he was lying on. No, he thought, it wasn't a bed. It was water. He was slowly being lifted from watery bed by a solid platform underneath him, pushing him up to the surface. It was only when he sat up that he noticed the water had been ice cold, and he found himself shivering. Above him hung a luminous structure like the roots of a synthetic tree had broken through the ceiling, pulsing a cool blue glow in the darkness.

He looked around for something to help keep him warm and found an open chest to the left with a pair of neatly folded clothes inside along with a waist pouch strap with an empty sword sheath. He pulled the clothes on quickly, relieved to have something against his skin even if it was a little too small and tight with drab colours. Then he secured the strap for the pouch across his shoulder and around his torso so that the empty sheath sat reassuring on his back. It was strange that he felt that way, but he didn't think to question his eagerness right now. He scouted his surroundings, noticing the smooth dark walls that were etched with what looked like glowing constellations. There was a door in front of him, but it was closed off by cement. To the left of the door, there was a podium emitting a gentle light in the dimness. Cautious but curious, he approached the podium, eyes falling on a strange looking rectangular item with a symbol of an eye and a single teardrop pointing downwards. He reached forward and then paused, looking around in case there was someone waiting to intercept him. Though it seemed that he really was the only one in this room besides the glowing blue contraption that was his bed. He reached out again, grabbing the tablet and lifting it out of its slot.

To his surprise, the tablet let out a beeping noise, and the machine flared to life, the eye disappearing showing a screen full of…static.

There it was again – a sound like a voice in his head. But it was indecipherable – a tiny murmur that had tried to worm its way into his ear. He shook his head, and the gentle vibration disappeared.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something gleaming bright in the darkness. Turning around, he spotted a flat pedestal with the same symbol of the eye carved into the smooth rock. The pupil was the only part glowing, like it was watching him. He looked at the tablet he was holding and back at the pedestal, knowing that there was something to be had here. On whim, he held the tablet up to the eye, placing the screen downwards.

He knew he did something right because the pedestal lit up in a halo of blue, and a gentle rumble shook the floor beneath him. He tensed up and stepped back, eyes darting around the ceiling and hoping that the room wouldn't collapse on him.

And all at once, the stone wall in front of him began to move. It groaned, rumbling upwards to reveal a straight path out into the sunlight. He flinched, shielding his eyes with his hand against the sudden glare of the sunlight that greeted him.

He took a step down the hallway but then looked back into the cave – or room? – he had been sleeping in. He was confused, unsure of what awaited him outside, and he got a prickling sense down his neck at the thought of going outside unarmed. He frowned at his thought process, unable to understand why arming himself would be the first thing on his mind. The empty sword sheath he was wearing didn't reassure him.

He shook off the feeling and strode down the hallway. He stepped across the lifeless pools of rainwater on the ground, wincing when he felt the half-heard murmur in his ear start up and then disappear. He reached the end, climbing up a stone ledge that was just a couple inches shorter than him leading out of the cave-room into the sunlight.

Birds were singing cheerfully, fluttering about in their nests overhead, and he almost scoffed himself for wanting to walk out armed to the teeth. He walked forward past the semi circle of pine trees and tall grass that kept the cave carefully hidden. It appeared that his cave was on a ledge of a grassy cliff, and he stood at the far edge and looked outwards into the distance, soaking in the sunlight and warmth that felt tender on his skin after his swimming excursion in the cave.

Though when he looked below and beyond him, he immediately felt sick to his stomach.

It wasn't that there was something terribly wrong with everything. The grassy fields were lush and spread past the cliff into the forest below him and the meadows beyond, ending at the mountains that grew taller into shelters of snow to the left. In the far distance to his right, a mountain surrounded by jagged cliffs dared to touch the sky, rivulets of red – lava, he told himself – running down in streaks. But the volcano wasn't what disturbed him.

In the very centre of the lush green fields, there was a castle. Or what remained of a castle, he thought, because it was surrounded by swirling dark streams of clouds. And the darkness, he thought with a bit of queasiness. _It moved._

But there was also something deeply wrong about the sight of it. There was a sickening feeling pooling in his stomach at the sight of the broken castle. It felt like he had failed in every single way, though he wasn't sure why.

He tore his eyes away from the sorry sight. He wasn't sure where the feeling had come from, but he needed to do some re-orienting first. He needed to find out where he was – and why he had just woken up from a sleep in a bed filled to the brim with icy water. Turning to his right, he followed the only narrow dirt path down the gentle slope of the cliff.

Even from here, he could see that a solitary figure had set up a small campsite, and he instantly felt relief. He had an irrational fear that he was a sole survivor to whatever events happened at the castle, and to see the presence of someone else – well, it was relieving to say the least. He could only hope that they were friendly.

When he got closer to the figure, he could see that it was a blond hair man with a hood over his head, roasting something over the campfire. The man looked up at him, but otherwise didn't say a single word. He could barely see the man's face with the hood.

He cleared his throat and tried to say hello, only to have it come out like a croak. He tried again. "Hello."

The man nodded. "Hey there," he greeted casually, not seeming surprised by his presence. "Nice clothes," he snickered.

He glanced down at his threadbare clothes and then back at the man, who looked like he was dressed quite comfortably in his clean, well fitting clothes that were the colour of the night sky. He decided not to take it to the heart, as his newfound pants didn't even reach down past his ankles.

"Who are you?" he found himself asking the man.

The man grinned a bit. "That's a question I should be asking of you. Is that a Sheikah Slate you have there?" He motioned to the tablet that he had strapped on his waist pouch. "I heard that only champions of the old had those. How did you get your hands on that kind of treasure?"

He frowned. Champions of the old? He had no idea what the man was talking about, and yet something about that line sounded so familiar…

The man waved his hand. "Anyway," he said, dismissing the topic. "I don't usually see many people around here these days. What's your name?"

He froze for a moment.

And then it came back to him, rising to the surface and insisting to stay there. "Nico," he said slowly, testing the name out on his lips. Yes, Nico, that was his name. He forgot it for a moment. How could he have forgotten his own name?

As a matter of fact, now that he was thinking about it, what _did _he remember?

Before he could start panicking, the man held out his hand. Nico stared blankly until he realized that he was holding a baked apple. "Have one," he urged. "You look like you've been starving. You're like sticks and bones all over."

He reached out for the apple hesitantly and nearly dropped it when the man let go too fast. The man grabbed another baked apple and bit into with a groan of satisfaction. "Simple but savoury," he complimented himself. "I usually prefer fancier meals myself, but an apple always satisfies a craving."

Nico watched him, unsure of what to say.

"Anyways," the man said after he was done chewing, "you should be on your way. Big quest and all?" When Nico continued to stare at him, the man pointed at the tablet at his waist. "Come on, you have a Sheikah Slate. Clearly you're on some sort of mission from Chiron maybe?" He shrugged.

Right on cue, the tablet – _Sheikah Slate_, Nico reminded himself – started to beep. He turned on the screen and it immediately went to a page labelled _Map_. There was no map however. Only a black abyss and a flashing yellow dot and blue dot. He assumed one was supposed to represent his location and the other to the location he was supposed to go to. He looked out across the vast landscape and wondered if he would run into more people who would make fun of his clothes and offer him apples.

"Well, that's your sign, isn't it?" the man said, biting into another apple. "Don't let me hold you back on your fancy quest!"

He stood there for a second and then muttered a curt, "Thanks." With an apple in his pouch and his Sheikah slate in his hand, he roughly located the direction he was supposed to walk in. It would probably take about twenty or so minutes to get there, he calculated. When he put the Sheikah Slate away, he noticed something glimmering in the sunlight on an unlit campfire further down the slope. Jogging down, he laid his eyes on a woodcutter's axe lying in the open for anyone's hands.

Well, Nico thought, his prayers for a weapon had been answered.

And better sooner than later too, because moments later, he discovered that there were more than just other people nearby.

* * *

**End Notes**: I may potentially delete this off this website because I honestly don't know how logistical it is to post my non-oneshots to this website anymore. However, if you don't use ao3 and don't plan to for whatever reasons and enjoy this, let me know if you want me to keep this up here.


	2. Eastern Abbey

**Ballad of the Sun Prince**

**Notes:** Unfortunately, the Great Plateau/tutorial portion is taking really long to compile because of how thorough it is! It should be done by the next chapter as we move on through the rest of Hyrule, past and present. I've replaced most Hyrulean monsters with PJO ones except for the Guardians. I've removed Sheikah Slate abilities (bombs etc.) because those are just in-game mechanisms for gameplay and I don't think it's super related to the story. I tried to take out the Spirit Orbs, but it was actually really hard, so that's a feature that's here to stay. (Though the updates say "bi-weekly", this has been posted within a day. This is only because I wrote the first chapter nearly two weeks ago and uploaded to ao3 two weeks ago, so technically it's still bi-weekly.)

* * *

_The Great Plateau_

Eastern Abbey, Present Day

[o]

It was safe to say that Nico didn't think he remembered much.

Scratch that, it was safe to say that Nico didn't remember _anything_.

He knew how to handle weapons, that was for sure. Shortly after he picked up his axe, a monster had jumped out of hiding to attack him. It was a tiny thing, looking like a mixture between a tiny baby with vicious teeth and a wheat monster. His mind had helpfully supplemented the word 'karpos' before his axe severed its neck. Then it all but dissolved into dust, leaving nothing but a few spoils where it fell.

Though the attack wasn't what unnerved him. It was the fact that he didn't even have to think about his movements while wielding the weapon. Sure, the axe was a little heavy-handed and he didn't enjoy the two-handed nature of the weapon, but he was competent with it. That had to mean that he had been trained to use weapons.

And that was when he discovered that he had no recollection of his actual memories. Muscle memories he had; his hands were deft with the axe, and he knew exactly what the monster was and that it would have taken a chunk out of his leg if he hadn't swung the axe, but everything else was blank. He knew his name, and that was it. He didn't even know _who_ exactly he was. Did he have a family or people he cared about? Nico had no idea, and the empty space in his head was going to drive him crazy.

He was almost glad for the incessant thrum of the Sheikah Slate telling him where to go. It gave him a purpose to move forward, and he hoped that it would give him answers on why his memory was so conveniently missing.

After his encounter with the karpos, he had remained on high alert, and it was then that he realized small encampments of karpoi monsters were scattered throughout the plains and the hills. It appeared they reigned free in this place, and the thought of it made Nico feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was because of the large ruins he saw earlier, close to the cave where he awoke. Somehow, he got the feeling that the frequency of the monsters directly correlated to that decaying temple.

He had made it to the location that his Sheikah Slate indicated without much hassle, though he was spotted once by a karpos that he quickly took down before it could alert the others.

Nico wasn't surprised to see another one of those pedestals with the eye symbol at the location where his map had marked. Though instead of a glowing pupil, there was a slot opened that was the exact same size as his Sheikah Slate. He didn't need to be a genius to figure out that he had to put the tablet inside the slot. However, he hadn't expected for the ground to start rumbling and for a tower to shoot up under him, lifting him over a hundred feet in the air. It was then that his tablet had updated with a map of the place, dubbing it the _Great Plateau_. From the open tower, he had seen more towers rising in the distance, like he had activated them somehow.

He had decided not to dwell on it now that he had a map of the region he was in, and he made his slow climb down the tower, supplemented by helpful ledges where he could rest. He got the feeling that he would be closely acquainted with climbing over the next while.

It was only when he got down that he saw that the man from earlier was watching him at the base of the tower. He whistled in admiration when he saw Nico. "You did this?"

Technically, the Sheikah Slate did it, but Nico nodded in assent anyway. Nico couldn't really tell, but it looked like the man was grinning under that hood.

"Look," the man said, "I'm assuming you want to get off this place and continue whatever quest you have, right?"

"I – I guess," Nico had said. He wasn't sure what he wanted, but he didn't think hanging around here in this place with a bunch of aggressive karpoi were going to bring his memories back.

And it was now that he found himself standing over the hill with the man further south of the tower, looking down at a what looked like a cylindrical structure that was wider at the back and the base, encased in a small grid of broken stone walls.

"A shrine," Nico found himself saying. He didn't know how he knew that, but like with the karpos, the words just came to him. It was frustrating – to be able to recognize and understand the world around him and yet know nothing about himself or how he came to know it.

The man looked at him for a second and then nodded, turning to look at the structure. "That's right. And I hear there's treasure down there. So how about we make a deal? I'll give you my paraglider in exchange for the treasure in the shrine." He clapped his hands together and rubbed it like he had just sealed a great deal. "What do you say?"

Nico frowned at the prospect of going treasure hunting for a man he didn't even know. "Why would I want the paraglider?" he asked, and he could almost see the man roll his eyes at him.

"Did you not see the ledges of this plateau? We're surrounded by steep cliffs at all sides. Trying to get off this place without a paraglider would be suicide. You would fall to your death," he stated matter-of-factly. Nico had not seen the ledges, but he could see the way that the land suddenly seemed to drop off far to his left indicated that there must be some sort of plunge.

"But won't you need your paraglider?" Nico asked. "Don't you need to get off this plateau yourself?"

There was a brief silence when Nico thought the man was going to change his mind about the paraglider. "Nah," he said lightheartedly, but Nico thought that maybe he could detect something behind that. Was that bitterness he heard? Or sorrow? He thought back to the castle surrounded by darkness. "This place is kind of my home, you know? Can't really bring myself to part." He laughed a bit, mostly to himself. "But I don't think you want to stick around here any longer. You've been looking antsy."

"About that…" Nico began and then hesitated, unsure of how much he wanted to tell this stranger. Then again, the man hadn't tried to attack him like those karpoi, so maybe he deserved some shred of trust. Nico had to admit those were really low standards though. "Where…where is this place exactly?"

He felt silly, asking the question when he could just look up his map for the name of the precise location he was standing at, but that wasn't his question exactly, and the man seemed to understand immediately.

"This is…was the kingdom of Olympia," he began. He opened his mouth like he was going to say more on the matter, but then he stopped and paused. "That doesn't really matter now," he finally dismissed. "How about you go get that treasure first and then we talk more? I don't like to be caught outside when it's dark and crawling with monsters." The sun was in afternoon glow, slowly making its way down the horizon.

Nico could have pestered him and begged him to tell him more, but he got the feeling that the man didn't want to talk about it, and he could respect that. He nodded a farewell to the man and went down the hill and towards the ruins. A quick look at his map showed that the place was once called the Eastern Abbey. It was nothing but ruins now, just like the temple he had passed by on his way to the tower.

He made it to the entrance the ruins, where a half-crumbled stone arch greeted him. He stepped inside quietly, glancing around in case more karpoi monsters were going to jump at him from out of nowhere, relaxing only when a full sixty seconds had passed without any sound but the chirping of crickets in the grass and the rustling breeze.

In front of him a few feet away from the stone arch was the rusted remains of what looked like a large mechanical spider. No – spider was the wrong description. It had six long legs at the circular base that were bent in different directions. The cylindrical head rested above the base, where a single rusted eye stared directly at him.

He breathed in, trying to calm the sudden spike in his heartrate.

It wasn't like anything Nico had ever seen before, and this time, he didn't have a name for it, but he couldn't deny that the machine, even dead as it was, scared him.

And it would only be moments later that he figured out exactly why he felt that way.

He was navigating his way through the ruins, when he heard a loud whirring noise, like a machine was being turned on. His heartrate skyrocketed at the sound, and he turned around to see one of the half-buried machines had come to life, blue and red light glowing through the rust. Its eyes scanned the area before its head turned a full 180 degrees to look right at him.

Its eye flared a bright blue, and then immediately, a red laser pointed dead onto his body while the machine hummed in preparation.

Nico booked it. With skill he didn't know he possessed, he climbed the wall in front of him and leaped over it within seconds to safely. Barely a moment later, there was a loud _BAM!_ of the laser firing, and Nico could see a blast of fire had started at the force of it on the other side. He shuddered. A second later, and he would have been fried meat for the karpoi.

No, that wasn't just it, he thought, a chill running down his spine. He would have been dead.

He took a few seconds to calm his heartrate down before he realized that he was standing in front of the shrine that he was seeking. Up close, it was larger than he had thought, stretching almost three times his height. The shrine was the same obsidian colour as the room he had woken up with, decorated with strange carvings that flashed a dulled orange colour. Nico walked around to the front of the shrine, where he spotted a pedestal with a glowing eye in front of an enclosed wall that blocked the entrance into the shrine.

He stepped forward, putting his Sheikah Slate facedown over the eye. Immediately, the shrine rumbled, the wall parting to the side to reveal a glowing platform. When Nico stepped over the platform, it lit up and slowly lowered him down into the darkness. It took all he had not to leap off back to the safety of the surface, and he hoped that he wasn't going to be greeted with hoards of hungry karpoi the moment he made it down.

The ceiling closed above him, and the huge room lit up by an ethereal light coming from the top of the shrine like sunlight was being filtered through thick glass. At the far end of the room, there was something, no _someone_ behind what looked like a laser blue barrier at the very top of a gentle slope of stairs. Nico squinted, but he couldn't make out the figure behind it.

The platform brought him down to the ground floor with a slight _thump_. He had barely taken a step out of the contraption when his head started buzzing, a whispery voice crawling its way into his ears. He shivered at the cold sensation, but it didn't feel malevolent. Words took shape inside his head, and he wasn't sure if he was hearing the words or thinking it.

_Welcome, hero_, the voice said in monotone, the words echoing inside of his head so that it felt like multiple people were speaking. _We have waited over a hundred years for your arrival. Step forward and undertake our trials, and you will be rewarded._

It didn't exactly sound quite so welcoming, but if Nico wanted to get off the plateau, he would have to bring whatever treasure back to the man.

The first thing he saw was one of the Sheikah pedestals beside a lowered gate that blocked off the only path further into the room. When he approached it, he noticed that this was one of the ones with a slot in it. He fitted it in, and the Sheikah Slate's screen flared to life. Nico waited for strange rumblings to begin, but only words flitted across the screen. An ancient script appeared on screen that Nico couldn't read. Slowly, the letters flickered so that they were replaced by a modern script: _Restoring capabilities. Please wait… _

Then there was a bright flash, and the Sheikah Slate was ejected from the machine. The gates lifted, opening up the pathway up the stairs to the person behind the barrier. Nico grabbed the Sheikah Slate and looked through it. The only notable difference was that he could turn to a different page labelled _Photographs_ where there were images from different places in Olympia. Nico didn't recognize any of them.

It would be a mystery to decipher later, he told himself, putting away the Sheikah Slate. For now, he was looking for a treasure.

Now that the gate was open, he could freely walk up the stairs to the barrier where the other person was waiting. When he got closer, he realized that it wasn't exactly a person, but what appeared to be a shrivelled corpse waiting behind the barrier. He approached cautiously until he reached the barrier, noting that the corpse was wearing a conical straw hat with the Sheikah eye symbol on it.

He couldn't see any lever that would open the barrier nearby, so he reached out and touched it cautiously with the tip of his finger, hoping he wouldn't be electrocuted on the spot.

The barrier responded to his touch, indenting inwards where he touched it like the surface of a still pool of water. There was a light ringing sound as the vibration from his touch spread outwards, and when the vibration was too much for the barrier to contain, it shattered like broken glass into blue droplets, dissolving into the air. That was easier than he thought.

And now he was face to face with the person.

The voice that had greeted him now came back, and it was with shock that he realized it was coming from the corpse in front of him.

_It is good to finally meet you, hero_, the voice said, though the corpse didn't move. _I am but a humble Sheikah monk, tasked to watch these trials until the hero arrives_.

"Hero?" Nico found himself murmuring. He didn't know how to feel about that title, but he sure didn't feel like any sort of hero whatsoever. The voice in his head paused, like it was considering his question.

_A dark hero gifted in the even darker arts_, the voice surmised, and was that a hint of amusement that Nico detected? _And yet Olympia's last beacon of hope. I will bestow upon you a Spirit Orb, wherefore you go forward with the blessing of my strength._

A wisp of purple formed at the monk's shrivelled outstretched hand, forming into a small ball. It flew towards Nico and nestled inside his chest. He gasped, feeling it merge inside of him, vitality spreading through his body from the point of entrance.

"What was –"

_Go forth and bring peace back into this land_.

And then, the monk began to dissolve.

"Wait!" Nico cried out, reaching out to grab the monk, though the monk was dissolving too fast for Nico to take hold of them. "I just woke up – I don't know who I am or what this is. I don't know what you want me to accomplish if I don't even know what I'm here for."

He waited for the buzzing of an answer in his head, but it didn't come. The monk was already gone.

[o]

When he emerged from the shrine, it was nightfall. He didn't end up getting any treasure, and he was left with more questions than when he entered. Nico wasn't sure why the monk had referred to him as the hero or why he was the _dark hero gifted with even darker arts_. Somehow, he got the distinct feeling that the darker arts didn't exactly mean a good thing.

Instead of leaving for the entrance, he decided to climb up the abbey walls behind the temple. From what it showed on the map, he should have been on the edge of the plateau, and he wanted to see just how far down the fall would be.

He was dismayed when he saw the sight. The man with the paraglider hadn't been lying. He could only see the tops of the trees far beyond in the fog. A part of him thought that he didn't _need_ to get down. He could spend the rest of his days on the plateau eating apples with the man and picking fights with karpoi that attacked him. But after what transpired in the shrine, Nico knew he wanted answers, and he wasn't going to get them up here in the isolated plateau.

Nico was about to climb down when a gleam caught his eyes. He looked directly down to see a sword sticking out of the dirt, handle up. Before he could think of what he was doing, he jumped down from the abbey walls onto the ground, pulling the sword from the dirt. It was a good length, single-handed, and the weight was evenly balanced. He could see some sort of insignia at the base of the sword indicating that it must have belonged to a knight.

The revelation brought a chill to him. Why would a weapon like this be lying around in the ruins? There was only one real answer he could come up with – the knight who wielded this sword had fallen here. Those mechanical monsters lying around were clear evident that a fight had gone down in the abbey. How many people had hidden here, hoping that they would be protected by the stone walls? How many civilians and knights had fallen trying to defend this place? It was such a small, insignificant place. Nico didn't have to speculate – he knew this place would have fallen within minutes of invasion.

The sword was still under his hands, betraying nothing of what happened here all those years ago. Normally, Nico didn't like the idea of taking a fallen warrior's weapon, but the sword was silent, acquiescing to accompany Nico.

He paused in surprise, unsure of why his train of thought took him there. It was just a sword. It wasn't like it had a life of its own, he thought to himself, shaking the feeling off. Taking a fighting stance, he swung the sword in the air a few times, his body automatically taking him through a few exercises. When he was satisfied with the quality of the sword, he replaced the axe with the sword, sliding it safely into his sheath.

Nico climbed over the abbey walls again back to the shrine and made his way to the entrance. He was careful to avoid the machines that he knew were alive, but the sight of the dead ones alone made him shiver. He could only hope the ones with legs wouldn't flare to life and start chasing him.

The man was waiting in front of the crumpled archway entrance when Nico exited. "I thought you didn't like to be outside during nighttime," Nico said suspiciously.

"I don't," the man agreed. "But I just wanted to see how things were going. Did you find the treasure?"

Nico hesitated with how much he wanted to tell the man. "There was…someone – something down there. And it gave me something called a Spirit Orb. I don't have it physically," Nico quickly amended in case the man asked him to hand over the Spirit Orb. "It was more like…a blessing. It sounds funny, but I think it made me stronger." He could still feel the power from the Spirit Orb radiating in his body, though now it felt like a part of himself. He didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly, but he had a feeling that he was regaining strength rather than receiving new powers.

The man nodded like he wasn't surprised at all. "Good thing there's more shrines around this plateau," he said cheerily. "How about you find the rest of them? I'm sure there's lots more Spirit Orbs to be found."

"But the paraglider –"

"Can wait," the man finished for him, and Nico tried not to seethe. He wanted to get off the plateau, but if his suspicions were correct about the Spirit Orbs being a key to regaining strength that he had somehow lost, he would have to find the other monks.

"Where am I going to find the other shrines?" Nico asked, mostly to himself. The map of the plateau was large, and if they were hidden behind walls and ruins like this one, he was certain it would take days to find all the shrines.

The man laughed a bit, turning around and pointed to the tower. "From up there, of course. You're going to tell me you're scared of heights now?"

Nico gaped up at the tower. "You want me to _climb_ that?"

"Well, if you're the lazy type, I guess you could shadow travel. Nighttime is the best time for shadow travelling after all." He shrugged. "Personally, I like to test my skills and show off a bit, but whatever floats."

"Shadow travel?" Nico was slowly beginning to realize that this man knew a lot more than he was letting on.

"You have the Sheikah Slate, don't you?" the man asked, like he was surprised Nico didn't know about it. "Well, I don't know much," he said, "but I heard that the champions could shadow travel. They could go to any location they wanted within limits by reaching through the shadows and arriving on the other side."

Something about it sounded familiar.

"Or maybe I'm wrong," the man said with a shrug that was much too casual for someone with this type of information. "You could always climb up there instead."

Nico grimaced at the thought of making the climb and shook his head. He'd take his chances with shadow travelling. He looked around him, noting that the man was right, and it _was _a good time to travel using shadows. The moonlight casted deep shadows all around him in its glow. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to go about doing it, but like with fighting the karpos, his instinct took over, like he had done it hundreds of times before.

He reached out with his mind, grabbing hold onto the shadows and wrapping it around himself. _There_, he told the shadows, forming an image of the top of the tower in his mind. Even in his head, he could visualize the way the shadows rested on the tower like he was actually seeing it himself from a bird's eye view. The shadows rushed around him, eager to do his bidding. He felt his stomach drop when the ice-cold darkness touched his skin, whisking him up to the tower within seconds.

He gasped, almost falling down when he landed on the tower, hand reaching out to grab the pedestal to study himself. It felt like someone had just dragged him through ice water, and it took him a moment for the warmth to come back.

"Interesting," someone said.

He jolted in the direction of the voice to see the man standing at one of the ledges, overlooking the plateau below him.

"How did you get here so fast?" Nico asked. The man had been down by the Eastern Abbey when Nico shadow travelled. There was no way that he could have scaled the tower in the few seconds it took him to get up here.

The man turned to look at him, and Nico saw a hint of an almost arrogant grin underneath that hood. "I've been around for a while," he said. "Anyway, you can look for the shrines from up here. Come."

Again, he wasn't going to get any answers out of him. Nico stood beside the man, gazing at the stretches of the plateau. There was a small mountainous range that stretched up to a snowy peak, and above that he could see what looked like the shrine.

Nico remembered the camera capabilities of the Sheikah Slate that had been restored and he took the tablet out, flicking to the page and opening it…and there it was. He opened up a function called _scope_, which opened up a zoomable camera.

Now that he was looking through the Sheikah Slate, that was definitely a shrine over in the distance amidst the snow. He marked it on his map and continued looking for shrines with his tablet. When he was done, he slotted the Sheikah Slate back beside his pouch. Then he looked at the man, who was gazing into the distance almost contemplatively.

"You're going to give me the paraglider after I go to all the shrines, right?" Nico asked.

At least the man didn't look affronted by Nico's suspicion. "Of course," he said. "But standing around and talking to me isn't going to get the task done."

Nico bit his cheek to keep from snapping out a retort. Instead, he nodded silently and once again began to make his way down the tower now that he knew where to go next.

Hopefully the other shrine monks would give him the answers he sorely needed.

[o]

_The Great Plateau_

Eastern Abbey, 100 Years Ago

[o]

It was a disaster.

People were cowering underneath overturned tables, clutching onto it like it was their lifelines. The Sheikah soldier didn't have the heart to tell them that they wouldn't be surviving this, caved in at all ends by the Guardian Stalkers. Even if they somehow managed to survive the onslaught, these people would die from starvation once the abbey supply ran out. The Guardian Stalkers weren't known to leave the location as long as they could sense life still lingering.

It was unfortunate that she still had to deal with the body of the fallen hero, who was slung brusquely over her back. The boy was light, and the Sheikah soldier found herself wondering if it was even worth it. She saw what happened in those fields. If not for the orders of the prince, she would have left him for the dead. If he wasn't already dead by now.

For all those rumours about him, he was completely vulnerable now.

"We have to open the doors," she said, pushing her way through the throng of cowering people. "I need to get him to the Shrine of Resurrection."

"We can't!" the abbess growled, standing in front of the barricaded doors like she herself was going to take on a highly trained Sheikah soldier. "It's absolute slaughter out there, and I'll be damned by Hylia herself if I allow you to let those Guardians in."

The Sheikah let out a huff of frustration. They were so close, and yet here they were, arguing with each other. If the boy didn't get to the shrine immediately… She didn't want to know what the prince would do. If the prince even lived after today.

Before she could assert her authority, her companion stepped up beside her. "Reverend Mother," she greeted, and the Sheikah was surprised at the amount of composure and respect she still upheld, even while Guardians walled them in at all sides and the hero's lifeforce was fading by the second. It must be the royal knight's training that made her so patient, she thought. "I understand your concerns, but we have direct orders from the prince himself. We must get the hero to the Shrine of Resurrection under all costs."

The words did nothing to loosen the abbess' resolve. The Sheikah knew that flinging open the doors would only make the Guardians aware of the Hylians hiding beneath the stone walls if they didn't know already. She wondered if the prince knew that when he issued that ordered, he had essentially allowed these people to be killed.

No, it wasn't the prince, she thought bitterly. It was all her. She had thought that going through the Abbey would be the best path. The Guardians on the plateau were focused on destroying everything in the Temple of Time. Surely, they would avoid the eastern end of the plateau and allow them to pass by unnoticed. She should have known that it wouldn't be that easy with this many Guardians.

"You realize that you are asking me to condemn my people to massacre," the abbess responded coolly.

The knight bowed her head. "I realize this, and this is why I will stay behind and fight. My partner will go ahead with the hero's body to place him in the shrine."

The Sheikah stared incredulously at the knight. "Are you kidding me? I knew you were stupid, but not this stupid! This is suicide," she hissed.

But the knight didn't look at her. She had her eyes trained on the abbess.

There was a silence where the abbess considered the knight's suggestion. "The Sheikah is right," the abbess concluded. "Fighting one Guardian is already a death warrant. And you think you can hold off the hoards of them outside?"

The Sheikah wanted to agree, but the knight spoke first. "You are not safe here. You should know these walls will only hold for so long. I will attempt to draw their attention long and far enough for you to flee."

"No!" the Sheikah found herself gasping in horror. It was war right now, and she knew it. The hero's body was flung over her shoulders after all, but this – this was one sacrifice too much. She thought back to the look of desperation on the prince's face. _Bring him to the Shrine of Resurrection. His life is now in your hands_.

The knight finally looked at her, expression carefully void of emotions. "It's okay," she said, resting one hand on her free shoulder. "I'll be fine. Just get him to the shrine."

The Sheikah was shaking her head, her body trembling at the thought, but the knight was already removing the barricades around the door. The abbess stepped aside and began rounding people up for their narrow chance at escape. "We can find another way," she told the knight. "It's not worth it."

What wasn't worth it?

The dark hero, feared by many for his unnatural powers? Or the prince's orders, made under derisions of pain and suffering? She wasn't blind to the feelings that the prince harboured for the hero, and she had to question whether his orders were clouded by his emotions. The hero could be beyond salvation for all she knew, but it would be treason to dismiss a direct order from the only remaining member of the royal family.

The knight wasn't listening. "When I open these doors, I'm going to step out first and draw them out. Then I want you to head directly for the shrine. Do not come back for me until you've secured his body."

She could see the determination in the knight's eyes, and she knew she had no chance of swaying her. She schooled her expression carefully into obedience and nodded, adjusting the fallen hero's body on her shoulders.

When the knight opened the doors and stepped out, she could hear the sounds of the Guardian Stalkers training their sight on her. She knew they were just machines, but she thought she could imagine the gleeful clicks and clacks when they found their newest target.

"Go!" the knight told her, drawing her sword and facing the closest Guardian. The Sheikah bolted out the door, letting her legs and her Sheikah training carry her quickly through the plains. She flinched when she heard the blast of the firing laser and a pained cry, but she forced herself to keep running. It was only until she reached the shrine hidden amongst the trees and panting for breath that she realized there were tears running down her face.

[o]

The Sheikah looked at the remains of the Eastern Abbey from a distance, watching the Guardian Stalkers roaming around and looking through the rubble for their next target. A few Guardians laid broken on the ground, their legs sliced off and lying on the ground next to them. Small fires had broken up from the impact of multiple blasts around the Abbey. There was no sign of the royal knight anywhere.

The Sheikah knelt down and bowed her head in respect for her fallen comrade, holding back more tears that threaten to fall. She stood there for a while, not knowing what to do. Then she picked herself off the ground and left.


	3. Hope

**Ballad of the Sun Prince**

Notes: I decided to change the name "Hyrule" into "Olympia" to give it a more PJO feel, but the terms "Hylian" will still be used in place of "human" etc., instead of "Olympian", since it basically refers to the PJO gods. Decided to post this a few days early to get a big chunk of exposition out of the way! The exposition speech was a little difficult not to go off word for word, since there's literally so much infodump in that scene, but I tried to play around with it.

* * *

_The Great Plateau_

Temple of Time, Present Day

[o]

"Up here!"

Nico lifted his head up at the night sky, mouth dropping open in surprise when he saw the man waving at him from the crumbling temple rooftop. In the days that had passed, the man's dark clothing was still without a splotch of dirt, whereas Nico was aching to change out of his grimy clothing. Now that the man knew he had Nico's attention, he indicated for him to climb up before he walked towards the broken structure that must have once been the belfry, now sans bell with one side of the wall blown off. The man looked like he didn't have a care in the world while he sauntered through the intact pieces of the roof, even though a misstep could have easily sent him plummeting to his death.

That is, if he wasn't already dead, Nico thought to himself.

He had just finished with his trial in the fourth shrine at the top of the snowy mountain when the man appeared outside the shrine, like he had been waiting there the whole time. Then, the man had asked him to meet him at the temple before completing dissolving into thin air, leaving a stunned Nico behind who had no choice but to follow his instructions.

Nico was tempted to draw his sword now, unsure if he was facing a friend or a foe. The man had seemed friendly enough so far. When Nico had found his small logger's hut to the south almost a week ago, the man had graciously offered him a place to rest and taught him a few recipes for meals. He couldn't imagine that the same man was going to lure him up to the top of the temple and push him off.

Shaking off his unease, Nico surveyed the perimeters of the temple for a way up, coming across a sturdy ladder on the side that had remained intact even while the temple declined. The climbing came easily after days of hoisting himself up smaller mountain ranges, and he made it to the top within a minute.

From there, he carefully inched his way over to the belfry, hoping that the platform was sturdier than it looked. Looking down at the places where the roof had collapsed only served to make him feel dizzy. Far below, the remnants of the roof laid in pieces on the ground amongst the shattered columns, worn down by the rain and time. The inside of the temple was now overrun by grass and wildflowers from years of neglect. At the far end, he could see the abandoned stone statue of the deity on top of a small pedestal, watching over the weathered temple with nothing but a serene smile. The mechanical monsters that Nico had run into at the Eastern Abbey hung at all corners of the temple, thankfully devoid of life as far as he could tell. Their six long spindly legs gripped on the walls and through the half-shattered windows, like someone had switched them off before they could finish the total destruction of the temple.

Looking at the devastation of the once holy place sent an unbidden shiver down Nico's back, and he focused on maneuvering his way to the belfry without breaking his neck. It was only until he made it to where the man was standing that he released the breath that he was holding.

"Took you long enough," the man commented in the same flippant tone, turning around from the broken windows to look at Nico with a mischievous grin under the hood he always wore. "I guess a promise is a promise," he sighed, reaching a hand behind his back. Nico tensed up only to scold himself when the man pulled out the paraglider and held it out between them like an offering.

Nico took the item in his hands gingerly. He ran his fingers up and down the rippling fabric; it was surprising light for something that had the ability to suspend him hundreds of feet up in the air. He hoped that the man wasn't duping him with a fake.

"But I didn't return with any treasure," Nico said, even while he held the paraglider. "That was part of the agreement."

The man paused, and Nico tried not to squirm under his sharp scrutiny. A sense of foreboding was gathering, and he had to clench his hands into fists to stop himself from trembling. There was something tickling at the back of his mind, jumping just out of reach when he tried to grab it. He shifted his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Haven't you already figured it out yet, boy?"

The image of the man seemed to flicker for a second, and Nico blinked a few times, taking a step backwards. There were two forms, fading in and out so rapidly that Nico couldn't tell what he was seeing. "I – just who are you?"

The man sighed dramatically, lifting both hands high up in the air. "I guess it's finally time to tell you the truth. Well, at least I had fun while it lasted."

Then, he clapped his hands together and a golden light flashed from where he stood. Nico covered his eyes from the blinding light, wincing at the radiance. There was a faint ringing in Nico's ears, and when the light finally dimmed, Nico got his first real look at the man who had accompanied his journey from the sidelines.

Gone were the loose dark clothing, now replaced by brilliant long white fabric, etched in gold with elaborate designs and patterns. Now that he was no longer wearing a hood, Nico could now see the man's features. It was like looking directly into the sun: he was so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at him. His golden locks of hair perfectly framed his proud, chiselled face, and were tucked neatly behind his delicate pointed ears. Even so, Nico couldn't help staring at the man in awe. He was truly handsome in every sense of the word.

But that wasn't the only reason why Nico was staring.

"Do you remember me?"

Though the man's presence was enough to light up the entire room, Nico couldn't miss the way the shadows clung in wisps to the edges of his body. This man was a ghost.

"I don't," Nico replied. His head was buzzing at the revelation. He had his suspicions since the man pulled his disappearing act, but to come face to face with the truth was another thing. And though Nico was caught off guard, he found that he wasn't surprised to meet a ghost, and that implication made him shiver. Nico had to wonder just who he was before his memories were erased.

The man nodded once, and though his facial expression was carefully blank, Nico thought he detected a faint hint of sorrow behind his eyes.

"Then let me introduce myself one final time," he said with an empty smile. "My name is Apollo Olympia Solace, and I was the last king of Olympia."

"Olympia…," Nico said to himself, testing the name on his lips. He'd heard it before when he asked Apollo about the name of the place.

A sardonic grin twisted on Apollo's lips. "Yes. At least, that was before Olympia fell, one hundred years ago."

Again, there was that feeling writhing in Nico's stomach, like something had gone horribly wrong and he was the one to blame. He clamped his mouth shut, afraid that if he said anything, he would out himself as the perpetrator of a crime he didn't realize he played a part in.

"The impossible happened," Apollo said, turning to look out the broken window into the distance where the dark castle loomed, looking deep in thought, "and we lost everything." His hands clenched into fists. He turned back to look at Nico, and he realized with shock that the dark wisps were crawling all over Apollo's translucent body, smothering his vivid light into nothing more but a weak flame. "Would you like to hear about it?"

He got the feeling that he didn't have a say in the matter, but he replied anyway. "Tell me."

The fading ghost fixed his gaze on the castle once again, a dark scar amongst the peaceful landscape. "In the stories and tales passed down in Olympia, there is always a central figure of hatred and fury: Gaea, our mother earth. Angered at the other goddesses for allowing lifeform to walk across her creation, she has returned through the ages again and again, seeking to destroy Olympia and all its inhabitants and stopped only with the dual power of the sun's heir and the appointed knight.

"Though they were just fairy tales, we received a prophecy that Gaea would return within our lifetime, and we made haste to find our solution. _From dust the Earth rises. Salvation lies within her domain_. We began to excavate underneath the ground and eventually, we found massive mechanical structures left behind by our ancestors. We called them Divine Beasts. We also discovered autonomous machines that fought for us – the Guardians."

Guardians. The word rang familiar to Nico's ears, and he looked at the rusty six-legged machines that surrounded the temple. Yes, he remembered what these were: Guardian Stalkers, machines with the ability to hunt and stalk its enemies until it achieved the goal of complete elimination. He thought back to his encounter with one at the Eastern Abbey, shuddering.

"With our arsenal, we prepared ourselves for Gaea's awakening. We selected four champions from the reaches of Olympia to pilot the Divine Beasts when the time came, alongside of the fifth appointed knight to stand beside the prince. But we…I didn't think that Gaea would turn our own weapons against us.

"When she woke, she took control of the Divine Beasts and the Guardians from us and destroyed Olympia from the inside. It was that day that I and the champions fell in battle along with many others in the castle. We never saw it coming.

"But the prince and his knight managed to escape," Apollo said, finally looking at him, and Nico found himself frozen at the absolute look of devastation in Apollo's eyes. "But unfortunately, the knight too succumbed to his wounds, leaving the prince as the sole survivor. He returned to the castle, believing his duty was not yet finished."

Apollo pointed out into the distance, where Nico could see the dark mass swirling around castle. "My son, Will, is fighting alone against Gaea," he said. When Nico turned back to look at him, he could see the regret and pain of a dead man written across his features, and Nico had to swallow something down at the mention of the prince's name: a gurgling of painful feelings that were unfamiliar to him. He looked at the ruined castle again, surrounded by cheerful green meadows, and suddenly, he felt very, very alone. "He is keeping her at bay for now, but his power will not last long. When she breaks free, she'll finally lay waste to all of Olympia."

Nico found his voice. "What do you want me to do?" He was just a kid in dirty clothes with someone else's sword on his back. He knew how to fight, yes, but he wasn't sure if he could wrest back a fallen kingdom from a centuries old deity. To ask that of him when he didn't know who he was – he didn't want to say it out loud, but it felt unfair.

He almost regretted the question when Apollo looked at him strangely, but he made his stand, taking a step forward. "How do you expect me to fight a goddess and save Olympia?"

For a moment, he thought that Apollo was going to laugh and pat him on the back, admonishing him for thinking that he would actually send a teenager on his own to fight a war. But instead, he said the opposite. "Because you are the chosen hero of Olympia, Nico. That knight who protected the prince until the very end was you," Apollo said, seeming surprised by Nico's outburst. "When you fell to your fate, you were brought here, to the Shrine of Resurrection in order to recover from your extensive injuries. It's unfortunate that the Shrine took your memories in exchange." When Nico didn't reply immediately, Apollo sighed. "As much as I don't like sending children into battlefields, you are the prophesized hero."

"The dark hero," Nico murmured, repeating the monk's words from the first shrine. The other monks had not explained anything else, no matter how much he yelled and begged, and at this point he was certain he wasn't going to get any answers out of the shrine monks. _A dark hero gifted with the even darker arts_.

One side of Apollo's lips tugged upwards. "Yes, the dark hero," he agreed without elaborating. "But I suggest that you avoid the castle and focus on freeing the Divine Beasts from Gaea's hold. Instead, head for Kakariko Village to the east." He pointed out the half-broken window, where Nico could see a two mountains peaks side by side like someone had sliced them down the middle with a knife. "Through those mountains, there will be a road for you to follow north. When you reach the village, Chiron should be able to tell you how to move forward."

Too much was happening all at once, and Nico had more questions about who he was in the past and how he died in battle, but Apollo was still talking.

"You must do everything you can to save Prince Will," Apollo said, reaching forward as if to clasp Nico's hands before he stopped himself and tucked his arms back to his sides. "You are Olympia's final hope."

"I failed the first time," Nico found the desperate words escaping him. "How could I be anyone's hope?" His head was throbbing, full of fragmented memories fighting their way up to the surface of his brain. The shards of memories were cutting into each other, fighting and jostling for a chance to reveal itself. _Look at me!_ they shouted all at once. _You have to remember!_

"Nico," he heard Apollo's voice amidst the stabbing pain. "Look around you. Do you remember this place? This is where you offered yourself up to join the royal guards as an apprentice when you were just a child."

"I –" At Apollo's words, a splinter of light broke free from the rest of his memories, twirling with glee while it slotted itself into his mind. Immediately, vivid images flashed across his mind – the symbol of the sun on the royal family's clothing, the impassive face of the king staring down at him like he was a gremlin that had crawled out of the lake, the cold midnight sword at his side, the whispering ghosts that he batted away, the fuzzy image of the companion beside him – "I remember," Nico whispered, holding a hand up to his head and looking down at his muddy shoes, trying to steady himself.

"I didn't believe in your strength back then," Apollo admitted. "To me, you were just an impertinent child who thought he was worth something just because he could swing a sword around. But now, I do believe in you – or at least, I have to. You told me this once, and I offer it to you now: what is hope but a parting gift?"

"Apollo," Nico began, but the last Olympian king shook his head with a sad smile.

"I've overstayed my visit. I wish I could help, but I leave the rest to you, hero of Olympia." Apollo waved a farewell, and Nico thought for a second that he could see his carefree image once again behind that tormented smile, and the last vestiges of the sun king's spirit was swallowed up by the shadows, leaving only a gentle night breeze behind.

[o]

_The Great Plateau_

Temple of Time, 107 Years Ago

[o]

It turned out that he didn't have to worry about missing them at all; the Olympian royalty came with enough fanfare to wake the statue of the goddess from her stone slumber.

Still, he had to ask just to make sure. "Is that him?"

To that question, he got an exasperated sigh.

"Of course that's him!" his companion whispered. "Look at what he's wearing. Who else would he be?"

Nico pouted, even though he knew it was obvious. There was no one else who would be permitted to wear the gold and white cloak with the sun symbol. Though so far, he could only spot the king. "I was only asking –"

"What are you two doing, hiding around here?"

"Ack!" his companion shouted in surprise, falling forwards in an ungrateful heap and nearly smashing into the bronze bell. It was then that Nico knew it wasn't one of the wandering restless spirits that were drawn to the temple. Only he could ever see or hear them, and they were rarely confrontational.

He spun around to see a young boy dressed in a blue tunic lined with golden patterns standing on the ledges of the open window, staring at them with an expression mixed between genuine curiosity and forced boredom, like he was pretending he didn't care whether they answered him either way.

Nico could play that way.

"None of your business," Nico said, turning around and focusing back on the happenings inside the temple. If he could just make his way down and talk to the king without being thrown out…

Unfortunately, his companion wasn't playing along. "How did you get up here?" they demanded, and Nico winced. The last thing they needed was for their cover to be blown, after they had made it so far just to be here.

"I climbed," the boy said simply, hopping off the ledge and landing in the belfry. "The window was open, and I was curious. The only people allowed in the temple right now is the royal family, so I just wanted to see who was trespassing."

Nico scowled. Were they really going to be sent all the way back because he forgot to close the windows and a tattletale wanted to earn points from the royal family? His hand slowly reached towards the sword he had strapped to his hip. He hoped that he wouldn't have to use it on a civilian, but maybe it would help discourage the tattletale from giving their position away.

But before he could even wrap his fingers around the hilt of his blade, his companion yelped and stepped in front of Nico, throwing their arms out protectively. "Don't you dare," his companion hissed, and it was then that he realized that the boy had drawn a bow and arrow in that short amount of time, aiming the point directly at his companion's heart.

He felt his heartbeat roaring in his ears, and before he knew it, he had drawn his sword, the steel screeching against the scabbard. With his other hand, he tried to push past his companion, but they only shot him a glare, refusing to budge.

"Hiding in the belfry with weapons, waiting for the royal family to gather. Not suspicious at all," the boy drawled like a lazy cat that had been awoken from a particularly long nap, but Nico could tell from the tautness of his bow arm that he was ready to shoot them down if one of them even moved too fast.

"We're not assassins," Nico said with a roll of his eyes.

The boy lifted his chin up and gave him an unamused smile. "Really? Then what are you here for?" he asked, making it obvious that he clearly didn't believe them.

"We're here for an audience with the royal family," his companion shot back. "Why would we even want to kill them?"

The boy still watched them distrustfully, his hand ready to release a fatal arrow. "The Yiga Clan is everywhere now. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent a bunch of clumsy kids to come assassinate my dad in a last-ditch attempt."

Nico's face flared bright red. He was done with being belittled for his age, especially now that he had the dark blade with him. He had proven himself more than worthy. "I'm not a kid –," he began before he caught himself. _Wait. "Dad"?_

There was the sound of a footstep behind him, and it was then that he realized that they had been caught in a trap. Nico turned around to see that the royal guards were approaching with their swords drawn, having heard the commotion. Nico cursed inside of his head, giving the other boy a glare, who only stared coolly back at him. He dropped his sword and held his hands in surrender while the guards seized them.

"We mean no harm," his companion was saying calmly the entire time like they were soothing a frightened animal, even though they were the ones being cornered. "We only came here to –"

"Save it," the boy said, lowering his bow. "Take them outside. Dad will deal with them after the ceremony."

The guards nodded, and the boy strolled passed them. Nico was tempted to stick his foot out so that he would trip and fall all the way down to the bottom of the temple, but he didn't want another infraction against him before he could even say a single word to the king. Instead, he glared at the boy when he brushed past on his way to the ladder. When he reached the bottom, the guards motioned for Nico to climb down next.

"Don't think of doing any funny business," one of the royal guards warned him.

Considering he was now weaponless, Nico wasn't going to attempt anything, but he gave them a tight-lipped smile just to throw them off. Let them think he was trying to assassinate the royal family, he thought.

His companion frowned, but otherwise didn't say anything.

[o]

Nico definitely hated him. The smug boy with the bow and arrows was obnoxious and irritating and ruined all their plans. Now the king thought they were trying to kill him or, even worse, part of the _Yiga Clan_ – disgruntled and highly-trained assassins whose main goals were to destroy the royal family and their chosen hero. Sitting on the grass outside the temple surrounded by guards for the next hour only served to make the hatred grow.

But of course, he couldn't forget one important fact about the boy.

"That was the crowned prince," his companion had whispered in awe. "Prince Will."

Nico had always thought Prince Will was the epitome of grace and goodwill, a boy his age that could wield the bow and arrow in his sleep and – the thought was embarrassing now – potentially could have been his friend if things had worked out.

He wrapped his arms around his knees, staring at the formless ghost that was circling around him, chattering in nonsense. He waved it away like an annoying insect when it got too close. He'd never had any real friends back in the village, being who he was, and to have the perfect fantasy shattered was a little annoying.

"The king approaches," one of the guards announced, and Nico and his companion jumped to their feet, bowing low at the presence of the sun king followed closely by the young prince.

The king of Olympia was decked in the finest of robes, the golden patterns gleaming in the light. Nico peeked up a bit to look at his face, only to recoil a bit when he realized that he was staring at them with a look of distaste.

That wasn't the expression he was expecting. But then again, Nico wasn't sure what he even thought was going to happen in the first place. Though he didn't like being looked down because of his age, he had to admit that being ten years old probably didn't impress the king very much, especially with the request he and his barely older companion was going to make.

"Are these two the ones who were trying to kill us?" he asked, and Nico could hear the faint amusement in his voice, as if to say _really? Look how scrawny they are!_

Nico bit his lip to keep from retorting. He would have liked to say that he would have no problem taking a grown man out, but he didn't want to seem like he was threatening the king's life for the second time in one day.

"That was a misunderstanding," his companion said gracefully. "We came because we had a request we wanted you to personally grant."

There was a pause where Nico thought the king would immediately send them away without a second look. "Rise," the king said, and Nico let out a breath of relief, getting to his feet and looking up at the man, who was still frowning at them like he had eaten something rotten.

It was then that Nico realized that he and his companion were dressed in tattered and dirty rags after weeks and weeks of travelling. It wasn't like they had brought a change of clothes, but he felt embarrassment colour his cheeks now that he was standing in front of the pristine royal family. He glanced at the prince, wondering if the boy was going to laugh at them, but he looked like he was busy sizing them up in case a potential fight broke out. Nico wanted to roll his eyes. They were surrounded by royal guards and completely weaponless. His fists could only do so much.

"What is your request that you needed to trek your way here?" the king asked.

"Your Majesty," his companion spoke up in an unwavering voice. "We wish to join the royal guard's apprenticeship."

Everyone collectively froze, and Nico held his breath. He knew this was a lot to ask for; they were both civilians who lived on the outskirts of Olympia with no real connections to anyone who worked within the castle. To ask to join the ranks of the royal guard with no status or reputation – it was an impossible wish, and the both of them knew it.

"I would have to decline that request," the king said dismissively. "When you come of age, you may enlist in the militia if you truly wish to fight for the kingdom. Otherwise, I suggest you head home."

The battle would have been lost, if Nico didn't have his wild card on hand. "Your Majesty," he began, imitating his companion's graceful formality. He wasn't really good at this stuff, but he had some practice when he and his companion were trampling around in the woods and practicing for this meeting with the king. "I am the wielder of the Stygian blade, and I think the best place for me to hone my skills is with the royal guard."

All eyes turned on him, and even the prince looked interested in what he had to say. He had to stop himself from giving the prince a smug smile.

"It's true," his companion supported. "It's up on the belfry, when we were disarmed. We can prove it."

The king looked between Nico and his companion and then finally nodded at one of the guards. "Go retrieve it."

"They can't," the prince interrupted, taking a step forward. "The Stygian blade can only be held by the hero it chooses. No one else will be able to touch it without burning."

Nico had to school the expression of surprise away. He wouldn't have guessed that the prince knew that information about the well-hidden legendary sword. In fact, he only figured this out when his companion tried to practice with it and dropped it in agony.

The king was examining Nico closely now, though the hint of distaste was still there, and Nico wondered if he smelled bad. "But you're still a child," he surmised, and Nico felt his heart fall. "There has to be some sort of mistake."

Surprisingly, the prince rebutted before Nico himself could argue. "Dad," the prince said, putting a hand on the king's elbow. "If he is the wielder of the Stygian blade, we should allow him to join the royal guards. He was the one who sought us out. We can't just send him away empty-handed."

There wasn't a hint of sarcasm or mockery in the prince's words, and Nico had to wonder if he really was the same person on the belfry who had stared them down with his bow out.

The king grimaced, but he finally acquiesced. "Only the wielder of the Stygian blade," he amended. "Not the other one."

"But –," Nico began, but the prince beat him to it once again.

"They arrived together. It would be sad to send one of them away. Maybe we can host both of them in the castle?" the prince asked.

Again, Nico had to stare at the prince in shock. Why was Prince Will being so helpful when a few hours ago, he thought they were part of the Yiga Clan?

The prince clearly knew that the king was willing to bend the rules for him when the king sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I'll decide on the details later," he said, giving in to the prince's request. Nico couldn't miss seeing the joy that lit up in Will's eyes, and he wondered if the prince, like him, was lonely in the castle without a friend his age. The fantasy of being friends swirled back in his head. He shoved it away. No, Nico told himself. _He was rude and thought you were trying to kill his family. You are not going to be friends._ With that mantra repeating in his mind, he averted his eyes from the prince and looked at the king, who was still frowning at them.

"First, somebody get these two a change of clothes."


	4. The Quest

**Ballad of the Sun Prince**

Notes: For this chapter, since the Sheikah are based off Japanese ninjas for the most part, I decided to include Ethan Nakamura & Alice Miyazawa. They don't really play a part in the story, they're just here as resident Sheikahs.

* * *

_West Necluda_

Kakariko Village, Present Day

[o]

He wasn't sure why he didn't expect to see anyone else in the wilds. After all, Apollo – or _King_ Apollo – had told him to head for the village in the mountains. If there was a village, certainly there would be people maintaining the settlement.

However, Nico was still shocked when he came across a horse stable when he passed the valley between the twin mountain peaks. Wandering merchants and travellers on the road greeted him with friendly smiles, not even taking a second look at the sword strapped to his back. Then again, most of them also carried swords and shields even if they looked like they would faint the second a karpos popped out of the bushes.

The thought of untrained citizens taking up the sword unnerved him, but it looked like a common occurrence due to the frequency of monsters. The karpos had become more of a nuisance than a threat for Nico at this point. Still, he'd take a bunch of malicious wheat babies over the roaming half-human half-bull creatures – minotaurs – he had seen in the woods leading toward the castle. He wasn't sure if he had enough strength to take them on at the moment. The glowing shrines he found along the path to Kakariko Village had mostly trained him over and over again against miniature Guardians who swung unique handheld weapons, and while Nico was competent with the sword, he was rusty after a hundred years of slumber. He wasn't confident enough to test his current power against a hungry minotaur just yet.

It was during this journey that he also realized he could only use his shadow travel once a day and only during the night. He couldn't go very far with it either, and Nico had to wonder if it was because he wasn't at his full strength yet. In the end, Nico had chosen to remain on the well-trodden road up north towards Kakariko Village, where the path sloped upwards into the curved green mountain range pillars. According to the travellers he talked to along the way, the Sheikah village was nestled in a small valley between the hills, hidden from wandering Guardians Stalkers. As he continued north, the mountains walled in the dirt path from both sides, signalling that he was getting closer to his destination.

He knew he had reached the village when he saw a wooden archway at the end of the path. He quickened his pace, his legs burning from all the walking he had done over the past few days. He should have nabbed a horse when he had the chance earlier.

It was a small, sleepy little village, Nico thought when he first laid eyes on it. Houses and stores were lined up along the paths and in the corners of the village, pressed against the safety of the mountainous walls. Some of the houses had small fields in the front where crop grew, and he could hear the faint sound of animals clucking from deeper into the village. Painted wooden charms clanked against each other in the night breeze, strung up above Nico's head by horizontal lines tied to the top of wooden poles on either side of the road.

He had finally made it. Now he just had to look for Chiron.

He had barely taken a single step forward when a voice called out to him.

"Who are you?"

The tone was rough and full of suspicion, and he turned to his right to see a young man standing by a small campfire at the entrance. Though he had an eyepatch over one eye, he was definitely glaring at Nico with his other eye.

The man had red irises, Nico noted, meaning that he was a Sheikah. They were the characteristic feature of the Sheikah, a clan of Hylians who were uniquely skilled in the arts of stealth and swordplay and gifted with longer lifespans than regular Hylians. The Sheikah was likely standing night guard in case there were any intruders, though Nico would be lying if he said the aggressive tone wasn't putting him off.

"I'm here to see Chiron," Nico said. The man's mouth tightened, and Nico pointed to the Sheikah Slate on his hip before the man could question him further. The other travellers had all marvelled at the Sheikah Slate when they saw it, and he was certain it was his special pass card now.

And truly it was from the way surprise came over the man's features before he schooled them back into neutrality. He turned and pointed further into the village at the house that rose higher than the rest. "He's over there," he said almost grudgingly. "Tell Alice that I gave you clearance."

"Thank you," Nico said with a nod, and then he turned and headed toward the building. It was evening and the people who were still milling around in the village were either guards like the eyepatch man or night owl villagers. Either way, they all stared at Nico when he passed, and he hoped that it wasn't because he smelled too bad. He had recently gotten a fresh change of clothes at the horse stables from earlier, but they were just as threadbare and worn down. He tucked a strand of loose dark hair behind his pointed ears self consciously.

Chiron's house was elevated above a tranquil pond, a ramp leading up from the ground to the entrance of the house. Small statue figurines of frog-like creatures were set up in front of the pond with offering trays, and a woman was nodding off, leaning her head against the archway in front of the slope.

"Alice?" Nico asked her, and she snapped awake instantly, standing up rigidly with an immediate and half-awake, "No, I wasn't sleeping!"

Nico stared at her. "I'm here to see Chiron," he said, deciding to ignore the fact that she had been flaking on the job. "The guard at the front said I'm good to go."

She frowned, still looking confused after being abruptly woken up from her nap. "Ethan isn't the type to just let strangers in without Chiron's permission. What's your business with Chiron?"

Honestly, Nico wasn't sure himself. Again, he pulled his trump card and pointed to the Sheikah Slate he was wearing.

Alice's eyes widened. "Oh," she said, her voice suddenly low with awe. She bowed her head, and Nico nearly jumped back in surprise at the sudden reverence. "You're _him_. Chiron might be sleeping right now, but I'm sure he'll be glad to see you again." He nodded without making eye contact and began his way up the slope toward the entrance of the house, glad that he could escape the suddenly stuffy atmosphere.

It was like his final conversation with the king up on the temple. Apollo had clearly expected great things out of him even when he could barely piece his past together. It made him uncomfortable: Alice's stare of wonder coupled with a "you're _him_" like he was some sort of saviour, here to solve all their problems with a flick of his sword. The truth was, he didn't even know where to begin with the heavy task that Apollo had given him.

Now that he had explored beyond the Great Plateau, he had realized that the ruined castle in the center of Olympia was a blight to the current civilization, spreading out its wickedness in ripples and infecting the whole land alongside it. Though merchants and travellers wandered freely between villages, Nico didn't miss the dark bags under their eyes and the way that they travelled in groups of two, never more and never less. _There's been a lot of monsters, even more than usual, lately_, one of them had warned Nico. _Stay far away from the castle. It's even worse there, but I heard that the darkness is spreading even further now._

_What about Prince Will? Isn't he at the castle trying to stop Gaea? _Nico had asked.

_Prince Will? Wasn't he the prince during the calamity a hundred years ago? Why would he be at the castle?_

It was then that Nico realized that whatever stories and legends that had been passed down from his previous lifetime a hundred years ago were unreliable at best. It made sense that no one knew what really went down – everybody in Central Olympia had lost their lives, entire villages were decimated, and the only Hylian settlements left standing were all contained in eastern Olympia, a region known as Necluda. Most civilians referred to Gaea's awakening as "the calamity" but it seemed like no on really knew what happened those hundred years ago, except that disaster had struck and the royal family was slaughtered. For all they knew, Prince Will died in the fray. The thought of it made Nico feel queasy.

_What about the prince's knight?_ Nico had tried asking, attempting to glean any information on who he was in the past. _I heard he was called the dark hero_.

Most people were confused, not knowing who Nico was talking about. The others clutched their hearts and shook their head in pity. _He fell in battle._ Like Nico didn't know that already.

Now that he was at Kakariko Village, he hoped that Chiron would have some proper answers to his questions. During his journey toward the village, he thought he would have opened up more pieces of his memories, but nothing would come to his head. The only thing he could remember so far was scorning the crowned prince during their first meeting when they were both kids. The memory of it never failed to make Nico flush with embarrassment at his immaturity.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly tripped over someone who had been crouching with their back turned at the top of the ramp. He grabbed onto the railing to steady himself while the young girl yelped, pitching forward and nearly falling on her face.

"Watch where you're going," the girl hissed, turning around to glower at Nico through her glasses. Now that he was looking at her, he must have been extremely distracted to not notice her in the first place. Her green dress, polka-dotted stockings, and bright red shoes were vibrant like the colours of a poisonous animal, though her eyes were a dark shade behind her cat-framed glasses, meaning that she wasn't a Sheikah.

Before Nico could mumble an apology, the girl had darted away. Shrugging off the incident, he stood in front of the double doors that led into Chiron's residence. He took a deep breath to prepare himself before he pushed the doors open and stepped into the dimness of the room.

An elderly man in a wheelchair looked up from the book he was reading. For a brief moment, he looked surprised until a small smile overtook his features. He put his book down on the table beside him, resting his hands on his lap.

"You've finally come," he said, his kind voice filled with warmth. "And here I thought you were going to make me wait at least another ten years." His red eyes twinkled with joy, and suddenly Nico felt bad. His existence was giving people false hope. He didn't know who he was in the past to deserve the celebration that came with his resurrection, but he definitely didn't feel like any sort of hero whatsoever. He dropped his eyes to the floor, feeling the urge to declare that he wasn't the person Chiron was looking for and that Apollo must have mistaken his identity.

"Do you…not remember me?" the bearded man asked. Nico paused, squinting slightly at the man's features, waiting for something to flash into mind. When nothing happened, he shook his head regretfully.

"I don't," Nico confessed. "But you must be Chiron, right?"

The man nodded. "You are correct. But do you really not remember anything at all from your past?"

Nico shook his head again. "Bits and pieces," he said. "But not much. I…don't know if I'm really the hero from the past that you're all pinning your hopes on."

A silence followed so heavy that Nico felt like it could burst. He clenched his hands into fists, unsure of what to say next. Maybe Chiron would kick him out and tell him to never return until he found the real hero.

"Nico," Chiron began, his voice immeasurably gentle, and Nico looked at him sharply at the mention of his name. "I have lived for a long time as the elder of Kakariko Village, and I have no doubts that you were the hero who came through here so many years ago with the prince. But you have always been given a large burden to carry, and it must weigh down heavily on you right now."

Hearing his fears put into words made him feel like something had released inside of him, and his voice suddenly came easier. "I don't remember a lot either about what I did or what I'm even supposed to do. Apollo gave me a task, but I don't even know where to begin," he admitted with his eyes downcast at the wooden floor.

Chiron gave a thoughtful hum. "Then as a starting point, how about you let me remember for you?" he suggested.

He looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?" Nico asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"I will tell you what I know from your past," Chiron explained, "though I did not know you well personally and can't answer any questions about who you were as a person, I can begin to help you fit the puzzle pieces of what happened one hundred years ago by telling you the story from the very beginning."

Even though it wasn't everything Nico would have wanted, he would take whatever crumbs he was offered like a starving man. "Yes," he said with a vigorous nod. "I would like that."

Chiron gave Nico a smile. "And so, I will tell you what I know.

"The events of the calamity was not an event that happened in isolation from history. In fact, Gaea had risen once before many eons ago. In preparation for her awakening, our Sheikah ancestors, a highly advanced civilization at the time, developed weapons and tools to aid the sun's heir and the chosen hero. This resulted in the creations known to us as Guardians. They also created four Divine Beasts, meant to be piloted by a champion from each of the four corners of Olympia in order to suppress and weaken Gaea. With a massive army of Guardians and the four Divine Beasts, the sun's heir and the hero were able to seal Gaea back into her slumber.

"But over time, other Hylians grew distrustful of Sheikah technology. In order to appease their fears, the king of Olympia decreed that the Sheikah abandon their technology forever, burying the Guardians and their Divine Beasts deep underground. However, this ended up sowing seeds of sedition amongst some of the Sheikah who felt bitter about the result of their work, and it in turn resulted in the creation of the Yiga Clan, a group welcoming those who sided with Gaea and sought for the destruction of Olympia, bidding their time for the right moment to strike."

Nico remembered that name: Prince Will had suspected that his ten-year-old self of being a member out to assassinate Apollo. Now that he was learning about the intentions of the clan, Nico could understand why he had been so infuriated when Prince Will had accused Nico of being a Yiga Clan assassin.

"After the first war, there came centuries of peace and flourishing until a prophecy telling of Gaea's return appeared a hundred years ago. The old technology was rediscovered, and the four Divine Beasts were spread across the four corners of Olympia, each piloted by a champion chosen by the Prince: the Zoras in the southeast, the Gorons in the northeast, the Gerudo of the southwest, and the Rito of the northwest. But this time when Gaea finally arose, she seized control of the Divine Beasts, preventing them from attacking her. Then one by one, she slaughtered the champions inside until there was no one left to stand against her," he ended solemnly.

Nico had already heard this story once from Apollo, but he felt goosebumps at the end of Chiron's tale. "I know that," he said, rubbing his arms. "But the prince is still alive, isn't he?" It was only until Chiron nodded that he felt relief settle in his body. After all the strange tales he heard about the calamity from strangers on the road, he wasn't sure if Will would really still be alive after all this time. "Apollo told me that before I save him, I have to free the Divine Beasts. He said you would know more."

"Apollo?" Chiron asked, eyebrows shooting up in surprise, reminding Nico that King Apollo was well past dead in this time and age. He was about to open his mouth to explain that he had only spoken to Apollo's ghost, but the words wouldn't form past his throat, his tongue taut in place. No, he couldn't talk about his strange affliction with other people. It would only serve to ostracize him further than he already was.

Nico's unbidden thoughts gave him a pause. Why was he thinking like that? Was it another key to who he was in the past? The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

Chiron, who must have witnessed a montage of expressions cross Nico's face during his inner monologue, had apparently decided to leave the topic alone. "Yes, I can understand the logic behind his plans. The Divine Beasts have been silent for years after the calamity, but I've been hearing reports that they recently started acting up again and their support would be necessary to take on Gaea. You'd have to get inside of the Divine Beasts and take back the main controls. Though I don't imagine it would be simple – Gaea has probably left her most powerful minions to guard from intruders. You will have to defeat them in order to save the Divine Beasts.

"There are four of them in total: one in the Zora's Domain, Gerudo Desert, Death Mountain, and the Tabantha Frontier. I imagine you would have to journey to each one individually. The closest would be Zora's Domain, just northeast of here."

Nico nodded, though there was a sort of ringing in his head. _Tabantha Frontier_. There was something familiar about it, even if Nico couldn't put it into words, and he wondered if something had happened to him there in his past. "I understand," Nico replied, adding the new tasks mentally to his head.

"Though before you leave, I do have something of yours," Chiron said, moving over to one of the desks behind him. He pulled out some clothes from a drawer, presenting it forward to Nico. "It's yours, from the past. This was given to me for safekeeping after you were placed in the Shrine of Resurrection."

Nico took the clean clothes from Chiron's hands, examining it closely. The clothing was soft to touch, with the tunic made of a blue colour reminiscent of the flowing rivers across Olympia and lined with gold stitches while the pants were a neutral beige along with a pair of darker brown boots. "It's sown and reinforced with dragon scales," Chiron explained. "Truly one of a kind. It was meant to be worn by the prince's chosen champion." It was meant for him, Nico thought, clutching onto the clothes tightly. A relic from the past he couldn't remember.

"I'll be heading out now, then."

Chiron chuckled. "They said you were always straight to the business, back then. It's nearly midnight right now. I think it would be best if you had a good night's sleep at the inn."

The old man was smiling kindly, but Nico got the feeling that he would be unable to argue his way out of it. "Fine," he answered after the moment of silence where Chiron stared him down. "Then I'll be going out at dawn." He turned around and began to exit but then he paused at the door, turning his head slightly. "Thank you for today," he found himself mumbling.

"It was my pleasure," Chiron said with a laugh. "After all, I'd always wanted to meet the hero of Olympia himself."

[o]

When he had first entered his humble room in the inn, he had that strange sensation again, like there were a hundred glass shards in his head cutting against his skin. He had stumbled for a second, leaning his hand against the wall until finally, something flashed into mind. _The fireflies_.

But the memory ended up leaving him more confused than relieved. He felt like gasping for air, and he hurriedly pulled out the Sheikah Slate, flipping to the photographs section that he hadn't even checked yet.

And there it was. The image of the prince sitting alone on top of the small curved bridge above the pond that held Kakariko Village's goddess statue, surrounding by glowing fireflies in the night. He was older than Nico remembered from the first time, features slightly sharper and hair longer and messier. He was smiling slightly at the camera, a hint of self-consciousness colouring his cheeks. Nico could almost hear his voice in his ear. "_Thank you for being here with me_."

The memory had brought on a rush of confusing emotions, and he decided to push it down and decipher the meaning in the morning. But when morning came, Nico wasn't sure how to begin understanding what happened between him and the prince that night one hundred years ago. It was strange, to go from outright hating the crowned prince in his memories to…whatever that was.

He could almost feel the prince's heartbeat under his palms.

Thankfully, the girl in the green dress he had bumped into last night prevented him from dwelling on it too long, and maybe that was for the best.

She appeared the moment he had left the village through the north exit, making a dramatic entrance by leaping down from a ledge on the mountain walls. Nico had to stop himself from drawing out his sword and holding it to her throat.

"Hey," she greeted, dusting the hem of her dress like she had just casually passed him on the road. "You're the hero of Olympia, aren't you? I heard you and gramps talking last night."

"What?"

She continued like she hadn't heard him. "I know you're going to head for the castle, and I want you to take me along with you. I'm also trying to rescue someone."

Nico wasn't sure what to say to that except – "It's dangerous." She looked no older than twelve years old, and even though she had a glint behind her eyes, Nico wasn't sure if he would trust bringing her along. And besides, he wasn't even heading for the castle at the moment.

"Like I didn't know that," she scoffed, crossing her arms. "Anyways, I'm coming with you whether you like it or not." When Nico didn't reply right away, she rolled her eyes. "What, we need introductions or something before we're friendly?"

He was too startled to be even angry about her attitude. "That's not the –"

"I'm only saying this once," she cut him off. "My name's Meg McCaffery, and I'll need your help getting into the castle. Now are you coming or what?"

[o]

_West Necluda_

Kakariko Village, 100 Years Ago

[o]

Nico jolted up in bed and looked at the other side of the room to find an empty, unmade bed. He cursed under his breath, hoping that the prince hadn't done anything reckless. Grabbing his sword and strapping it to his waist, he dashed out the door, ignoring the noise of surprise coming from the sleepy innkeeper.

In retrospect, he could have just stopped to ask the innkeeper where Will had gone, but he wasn't thinking at the moment. Only panic fuelled his movements, and he burst out the door, looking around for any sign of the prince. If he had run off during the night, he couldn't have gone too far, Nico thought. He should have kept a closer eye on him, especially after all that had happened last night. Prince Will wasn't the type of person to show his vulnerability so easily, and for him to have completely broken down in Nico's presence last night…

Before his thoughts could continue spiralling downwards, he spotted the crowned prince and he exhaled in relief, panic level instantly decreasing at the sight of him. Will was sitting alone on the low bridge, staring down at the back of the goddess statue with a desolate expression, arms wrapped around his legs. Fireflies had surrounded him, basking him in an ethereal halo of light. An inappropriate thought about how handsome he looked flittered through Nico's mind before he managed to wave it away, annoyed with himself for thinking that when Will looked so morose.

He approached Will quietly, taking a seat beside him and dangling his legs off the bridge, the sole of his shoes skimming the water. Will barely even looked up, staring at the still pond impassively, and the lecturing words Nico had prepared instantly vanished.

Nico didn't need to be a genius to figure out that Will was going through a lot. The flying accusations in court the other day had left both of them shaken, and the king essentially casted them out the next day. He had read it like a banishment, and he wondered if Will felt the same way. Nico couldn't forget the way that Will had cried when they had reached the perimeters of Olympia Field. He had stared at the castle with tears streaming down his face, and the only thing Nico could do was suggest that they rest for the evening. The next day, Will had put on a brave front on their journey toward Kakariko Village, and Nico had been too cowardly to ask him about the night before.

He kept thinking about the way Will had clasped their hands together, how the heat of his palm had caused Nico's heart to pound furiously despite the fact that Will had only been looking for support the other night. He was too embarrassed with himself to bring it up, scared that his unseemly feelings might be made obvious in the daylight.

But now that the sun had set, the mask they both wore in front of each other had fallen away. Will was once again in a state of dejection, and Nico couldn't ignore him, especially after all they had been through together in the past few months. He racked his brain looking for something to say when he was interrupted by Will's voice.

"I'm sorry about what happened."

Nico blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"At the castle. When he said all those things about you. This would have never happened if you weren't my appointed knight," Will mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with Nico.

Was _that_ what he was so worried about? Nico sighed, rolling his eyes. "You don't think I'm used to those things? People have been saying that about me since I was born. Don't worry about me." In truth, he had been hurt by the accusations even if it was nothing new, so Will's care had him feeling a little touched. The prior months he spent travelling alone with Will had been such a fresh breath of air that Nico had forgotten what it was like to be hated for existing when they returned to the castle last week. And though Nico had never noticed it… "Is that what being prince is like everyday?"

"It wouldn't be if I weren't so useless," Will said with a self-deprecating laugh. He turned his head away from Nico, and Nico felt a sting in his chest. He wanted to reach out and reassure Will that he wasn't useless, that he had pushed himself every single day in an attempt to fulfill his prophesized duties, and it had to count for something, but he knew that the words thrown at him in court were still ringing around in his head, punishing him for something out of his control.

_How do we know that you're not the traitor? After all, it seems to me that you're deliberately holding back whatever power you have. Or maybe you just don't have the power after all? Maybe you're just a fraud, and the _real_ sun's heir is someone else._

"You're not useless," Nico argued angrily, half directed at Will and half directed at the man who had dared to accuse Will of treason. "I don't know how you came to that conclusion, but even if you can't access your powers, you can still fight."

Will was staring down at his open hands blankly. "It doesn't matter that I can use the bow and arrow," he whispered. "If we're to save Olympia, we _need_ this power – this goddess forsaken power that I can't access no matter how hard I try! What use is fighting if I can't even achieve what I'm supposed to do? What use is all of this," he said, indicating wildly to their surroundings, "if I can't even feel the power that I'm supposed to have?" His teeth were gritted, and Nico was taken aback by the vehemence of his self-hatred that he detected in Will's voice.

Before Nico had got to know Will, he had always thought that the prince was just a pampered boy who was wrapped up in his own self-importance. He hadn't paid attention to the gossip going on behind the prince's back nor had he noticed how the prince's self-esteem had been crushed by the cruel words. The prince had kept silent about his feelings, only smiling kindly and going through the motions when he was under the gaze of public eye. Never did Nico imagine that Will felt the same damning loneliness that he had been living in all these years. In the end, Nico and Will weren't so different after all, both rejected children of Olympia for their powers or lack thereof.

And Nico knew that the thing Will needed the most right now weren't words of reassurance but for someone to listen to him. He reached forward and grasped Will's hand with his own, ignoring the light buzz he felt when their palms pressed against each other. Will tightened his grip around Nico's hand.

"I hate how this all ends with me," Will confessed, quieter now. "I hate how I'm the one who's been given the power to seal Gaea away. It ends with me, and if I can't do it, then everything – all that we've worked for –" He cut himself off, but Nico could already hear his words. _It was all for nothing_.

"My entire life, people have been endlessly telling me that this is my duty, and this is what I was born to do, and I wonder now if he was right and this really was a mistake. Maybe I'm not the real heir, and that's why I don't have this power." He squeezed Nico's hand tighter when he spoke the fearful thought. "But it's too late at this point because everyone is relying on me, and I'm…so afraid of being a failure. I'm scared because everyone is losing faith in me, and I don't want to fail them, but no matter how hard I try or pray…" He shook his head, closing his eyes with a sob.

Nico shifted his body toward Will, sensing the anguish and loneliness coming off of him in waves. "Whatever happens, I'll be here with you," he said, feeling like he was reciting his knight's pledge once again. But this time, he meant it. He would stay by Will's side on every step of the journey from now on not only as his knight but as his friend. "And even if no one else has faith in you, I'll believe in you," he said, realizing that what he was saying was completely true. The others had lost their faith in Will a long time ago, but it would be unfair if Will had worked so hard for nothing, and Nico couldn't believe that fate would be so cruel. Will was looking at him with his mouth slightly open in surprise, and he found himself grinning. "Then we can go back to the castle and make them all eat their words, starting with that pale freak."

A hint of a smile came across Will's face, breaking out into soft laughter, and Nico felt himself smiling back. Then, to Nico's surprise, he entwined their fingers together, tucking into the spaces and curves between Nico's fingers. He immediately felt his face heat up at the electric rush that spread through his body, clenching his free hand into a fist. "Nico, I – thank you for being here with me," Will said with an almost shy smile, eyes focused on Nico in a way that was making him feel lightheaded.

For a moment, Nico didn't see the space between them as a prince and a knight. He saw Will the way he should have seen him all those years ago when they first met: another boy in the same predicament, reaching out for someone to understand him. Now that they were finally here, Nico had to wonder why he had been stubborn for so long, continuously rejecting Will's attempt to learn about Nico's own burden. The warmth he felt now from their connected hands sent a rush of boldness through Nico's body.

And it was right then, surrounded by the glow of the fireflies, that Nico felt the overwhelming desire to kiss him.

He had leaned forward before he knew what he was doing, falling deep into those blue eyes. It was only in the last moment that he came back to himself and flinched, changing his trajectory to Will's shoulder and wrapping his other hand around Will's back in a semblance of a hug. His heart was thumping furiously, and his face must have been a deep shade of red, but he clung on, afraid that Will would figure out his feelings right away if he saw his expression.

What had prompted him all of a sudden? He cursed himself in his head for acting so recklessly. No matter his feelings toward Will right now, they were technically in the middle of a mission, and Nico still had to disentangle all the other complicated feelings in his heart before he could approach Will with his steadfast intentions.

It didn't help that the buzzing feeling still remained, now that they were pressed together in a hug. It spread across his body, making him feel sensitive all over and especially where their hands were still entwined on Will's lap.

"Well, you chose me as your knight," Nico rambled in an attempt to play it off normally, resisting the urge to just get up and run away in embarrassment. "It's only right that I stay with you until the end."

Though just maybe – just maybe – he thought he could feel Will's racing heartbeat too, thumping against the offbeat rhythm of Nico's own heart.

* * *

A/N: Yeah... this was over a month late. I got busy and wrapped up with my final semester in uni so there'll probably be a delay next week. This chapter was actually already finished over a month ago on ao3 but unedited. I finally got around to editing it, so it's here on ffnet now (the edited version, that it).


	5. Castle Ruins

**Ballad of the Sun Prince**

**Notes**: You may or may not have noticed that the BotW Link/Zelda roles from the games are reversed! Wherein Zelda resents Link while Link Does His Best, Nico is the one who resents Will. _See end notes for other storywise notes._

* * *

_Central Olympia_

Castle Town, 101 Years Ago

[o]

The prince was a pain to deal with.

It was past midnight, and Prince Will apparently had decided to sneak out into town just because a few people said mean things to him. Nico wanted to roll his eyes at the prince's childish behaviour. He stepped out on the road a few feet in front of the prince, dispersing the shadows that had kept him hidden from sight.

The prince started at his unexpected appearance, taking a step backwards in surprise. "What are you doing out here?" the prince demanded, looking at him from underneath the cover of his navy cloak. Not for the first time since his sudden appointment last week, he wished that he had just been banished from Olympia instead of playing the prince's nanny.

"You're the one who claimed me as your personal knight, _your highness_," Nico said, injecting a venomous amount of sarcasm at the prince's title. Nico couldn't see his face from under the hood, but he hoped his attitude conveyed to Prince Will just how little he appreciated what the prince had done. "I suggest you return to the castle. I'm sure you have better things to do other than wandering around town disguised in the middle of the night."

Because of the whole incident and Nico's new position, he figured that if he overdid his duties a little, maybe Prince Will would retract his orders, and Nico would spend his happily banished life in a place where nobody had ever heard about him or the prophecy. He was sure that Prince Will would become annoyed of him eventually if he kept up his act, so he stood his ground in front of the prince, daring him to take another step forward.

Prince Will tightened his grip on the cloak he wore. "It's important," he said, and Nico felt a twinge of satisfaction from hearing the prince's usual arrogantly smooth tone now taut with suppressed emotion. When Nico didn't budge, he sighed. "Accompany me."

Nico stiffened at the order. For a moment, he considered disobeying. Then he grudgingly stepped aside for the prince, a pool of resentment bubbling up at the order.

"Thank you," Prince Will said with a nod. Nico didn't reply. He watched the prince tug his hood over tighter and continue along the bridge across the castle moat and into town. With a shake of his head, he trailed behind the prince, making sure to keep a fair distance away so people wouldn't think they were walking together. After all, Nico wasn't stupid; Prince Will had donned a cloak to hide his identity in town. If anyone saw a controversial knight escorting a hooded figure, then the disguise would have been for nothing.

Despite the chaos at the castle all week, the town itself was almost strangely peaceful in comparison. A few people roamed around the central square, sitting on the edges of the water fountain and gazing up at the night sky while chatting and smiling amongst themselves. He had only noticed he was staring too long when a couple stopped talking to give him a cautious look. Nico averted his eyes, continuing to follow the Prince who had taken a left turn into the eastern residential district, where the narrow streets were nearly devoid of people. The night shadows spread across the path, and Nico took the chance to draw the shadows towards him, letting it hide his presence from sight.

The prince continued along the road, heading closer to the perimeters of Castle Town, and Nico had to wonder if the prince was actually planning to sneak out of the castle entirely. He had heard stories about the prince's tendency to leave the castle on a whim, but he hadn't expected it to happen this soon after his appointment.

But just when they were about to reach the castle walls, Prince Will turned left onto the north road, his stroll turning into a light jog. Nico quickened his pace to keep up with him, even though he now had a good idea of where Prince Will was headed on a quiet night like this.

The Olympia Cathedral loomed in front of them, growing closer with every step, its stone walls looking gloomy and impenetrable even underneath the luminescence of the half moon. He had never set foot in the Olympia Cathedral, but the tall gabled roof reminded him of his one and only visit to the Temple of Time, back when he was ten years old and arrogant enough to approach the royal family for a request without preamble. At the time, it had seemed like such a good idea to run away from a hometown that hated him to his very core for things out of his control. He had thought that maybe he would belong with the royal knights, where his abilities would be what determined his worth. Now he knew that it was foolish to even think he could ever escape the branding his powers gave him, especially now that he had finally heard about that stupid prophecy. And the only person, besides _, who had ever made him feel welcomed –

A jolt of dull pain went through his chest at the thought of _him_, and Nico shoved the thought away. It was no use thinking of the him now that he served someone else.

He turned to focus on his surroundings. Besides a few stray dogs, the area around the cathedral was practically abandoned. He watched Prince Will slow down and take the steps up to the entrance of the old stone cathedral, pushing the groaning wooden door open. Nico winced at the sound.

He entered behind the prince, letting the shadows slip back to their rightful places as he came into visible sight again. While the Temple on the plateau had been laid down with white porcelain tiles that must have been polished every day, the cathedral floor was a slab of grey cement dotted with darker shades that indicated its age. Instead of gorgeous multicoloured stained glass windows filtering the golden sunlight into the radiant temple, the moonlight crept through open windows, spilling into the dark corners. The only resemblance the cathedral bore to the grandiose temple was the similarly large stone statue of the goddess at the very back at the room with her curved wings spread out behind her shoulders and her hands clasped together. The goddess' closed eyes and calm smile beckoned at their prayers.

Briefly, Nico wondered if Prince Will had been planning some sort of rendezvous here. He had heard that the prince was close to the haughty Rito champion, and after their first meeting, Nico couldn't say he had the desire to meet Thalia ever again.

But it looked like the prince wasn't here for any sort of meeting at all. He pulled his hood down, revealing his tousled blond hair, and Nico was taken aback by the expression he saw on Prince Will's face.

While Nico had witnessed a lot of turmoil in the castle over the past few days, Prince Will had never seemed truly concerned or bothered, his face always completely devoid of any distinct emotion. But now, Nico was seeing the prince's brow furrowed in frustration with his mouth pulled tightly into a frown, and he noticed that the prince's hands were clenched into fists, trembling slightly.

He was upset.

Over a few words from earlier.

Nico wanted to scoff. After all, he had grown up hearing people talk about him like he was a monster. This kind of stuff was nothing to him.

But, a gentler and more compassionate voice inside him whispered, this is the crown prince. He had probably never experienced something like this before – to have your own subjects turn against you completely for something you couldn't control.

He had been there when it happened, lurking in the shadows and keeping an eye on the prince as per his new annoying duties. He had witnessed the whole thing: the prince's cousin and his lackeys cornering him in an empty corridor to get a few comments in about his lack of powers.

_"Aren't you just asking that knight to stay with you because you can't access your own powers? That's a little pathetic, isn't it? To be leeching off a knight since you can't even protect yourself?"_

They continued mocking him for his missing powers, but the prince had merely pushed past them without a backwards glance, but Nico could tell that he hadn't been wholly unaffected by the way his shoulders had stiffened up.

"Did you think I was planning to run away from the castle?" the prince asked with his back turned, interrupting Nico's thoughts.

It took a second for Nico to realize that Prince Will was talking to him and not another stranger hidden away in the cathedral. "Yes," he admitted unashamedly. It was easier to let Prince Will know that he didn't like or trust him rather than suck up to him.

"Well, you're wrong. For today, at least," Prince Will amended. He walked forward slowly up to the pedestal where the goddess stood and then he turned around to look at Nico, his expression cleared of the emotion that had shown so blatantly just a second ago. "You can leave now if you have other places to be. Don't worry, I'll return to the castle once I finish my prayers."

Nico thought about protesting just to irk the prince, but he figured the prince wouldn't care whether he stayed or not, and Nico would rather get some rest after a full day of trailing the prince. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, your highness," he returned, bowing slightly. He let the shadows encase his body, preparing to leap through the shadows back to the castle, but something stopped him from doing it just yet.

Maybe it was his curiosity, but Nico let the shadows make him invisible once more, and he turned to observe the prince who now thought he was completely alone. He didn't make it a habit to spy on people, but something about Prince Will's expression from earlier had piqued his interest.

Prince Will stood there staring around at the empty room for a few seconds, and then he turned around, dropping on both knees in front of the goddess statue, bringing his palms together in prayer and lowering his head. He was quiet, and Nico wondered if he should leave to offer at least a bit of privacy, but then the prince spoke.

"Hear me, O goddesses," his low, quiet voice cut through the silence. "I have come to seek your help with my – my powers." His voice tremored over the word 'powers'. "Am I not trying hard enough?" he asked, dropping into a harsh whisper. "Have I not been devoted enough?"

There was no response. If the prince had heard the voices of the goddesses at all, he gave no indication of it.

"Every day, I pray that _today_, _today _will be the moment my powers awaken. But each day, I end as nothing more than a disappointment. To the kingdom. To my father." Prince Will took a deep breath and shuddered. "Please… Please give me your insight to unlocking this power within me. Or – just tell me if I'm not the one. Tell me if I'm not the sun's heir, and I will gladly step down from my position. My title as the heir to this kingdom means nothing if I can't save it. So please, just please, give me your guidance as you see fit." His voice cracked, and he lowered his head even further, a single sob tearing free from his throat.

Nico found himself frozen in place. Was this what the prince didn't want people to see in the daylight? Was this how he really felt?

He thought of the mocking words tossed at the prince earlier, and a twinge of sympathy swelled in his heart. If this was how he really felt all along, then they had jabbed into Prince Will's deep vulnerability. He wondered what it was like to be disliked for _not _having powers instead of hated for being tied down by them, or to have those powers determine whether or not you were worthy.

Suddenly, Nico felt a terrible pity for the prince, kneeling in the gloom of the empty cathedral, his existence devoid of the goddesses' blessings.

He stood there watching Prince Will for a while, unsure of whether or not he should leave. He had a feeling that he had just glimpsed into something incredibly private, and he began to draw up the shadows again to open up a travel point.

"How long are you going to stand there?"

Nico jolted at the prince's voice, his grip on the shadow waning for a second as his eyes darted around the cathedral, wondering Prince Will could see an intruder that he couldn't, but the cathedral was dead silent.

The prince had gotten up on his feet now and was staring up at the unmoving statue. "I know you're still there, Nico."

He was so surprised that he lost his grip on the shadows, and he was plunged into full sight. Embarrassment at being caught made his face heat up, and he was glad that Prince Will wasn't looking at him right now. "How did you know that?" he demanded, forgetting to address him with his title.

"I didn't feel you shadow travelling," the prince replied calmly, his eyes still focused on the goddess. Nico frowned, unsure of how to make sense of that. As far as he knew, nobody could tell when he was shadow travelling. He wanted to ask exactly what he meant by that, but Prince Will spoke first.

"Are you angry about the arrangement?"

"What?" Nico asked. He had just witnessed the prince on the verge of breaking down, and the prince himself had known he was there the entire time and continued with his prayers anyway. But this was what he wanted to ask?

"About becoming my knight," the prince clarified, his voice blank and empty. "I know you don't like me, so you can't be happy about it, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping my boundaries." Nico was in shock at his words. The crown prince of Olympia, _overstepping his boundaries_? Nico almost guffawed. "I was only trying to make things easier for you. I can't say that I know what you're feeling at all but –"

That was when Nico snapped. He wasn't sure what brought about the sudden burst of hatred and anger, but it spurned deeply inside of him, fuelling his words. "You're right. You don't know how I feel," Nico cut him off coldly. "So next time instead of playing the saviour prince, why don't you just focus on the bare minimum, on unlocking your so-called powers, your _highness_?"

Now Prince Will twisted his head around to look at him in shock, and the rush of anger Nico felt dissipated, replaced by a growing sense of horror at his words. He knew firsthand how much it hurt to be degraded because of his powers, and now he had the gall to turn around and attack Prince Will the same way. And not only that – this was the _prince_ he was speaking to.

Maybe he would finally get that banishment he was originally slated for. He should have felt glad, but all he could feel was his own deepening guilt for uttering words that were now echoing around in his head.

He tore his eyes away from Prince Will's betrayed stare, tugging on the shadows around him and letting them propel him back to the castle's corridors. The shadow's iciness clung onto his skin, sinking into his bones like it felt Nico's culpability and wanted to remind him of his unusually cruel words.

He shivered, keeping his head down and trying to forget about what he said while he made his way back to the Guards' Chambers. He should have left earlier when he had the chance instead of sticking around to sate his curiosity. All of that could have been avoided if he hadn't decided to snoop.

Nico had just arrived at the chambers when someone called out his name. His eyes followed the sound to see his companion standing by the archery range, and relief flooded him at seeing them. "_," Nico greeted.

His companion dropped the bow, walking over to give Nico a hug. "It's good to see you. I know you've been busy the past week, but I'm glad you're finally here."

"Yeah," Nico said with a genuine smile. "And I'll be around the castle now too, so we can see each other more often."

It should have been good news, but Nico didn't miss the way his companion's expression darkened at his words. "About that," they began, refusing to meet Nico's eyes, and he felt his heart sinking. "I've been given a new assignment."

That was what he had feared. "But you'll be back, right?" Nico asked hopefully.

"I don't know," they admitted, much to Nico's displeasure. "As of tomorrow, I'll be departing for my new position as one of the guards at the Akkala Citadel. I don't think I'll be returning to the castle anytime soon."

The Akkala Citadel… That was nearly on the other side of Olympia.

If Nico hadn't been recently assigned to Prince Will, he would have been ecstatic. After all, he was a lone Hylian knight who was assigned to the Zora Domain, which laid just south of the Akkala Citadel.

But now he was stuck at the castle while his companion headed east. Perhaps this was his fate for scorning the prince.

"Hey, it's okay," his companion said, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure we'll be able to meet each other some time."

"Yeah," Nico said, his voice coming out in a croak. He cleared his throat. "Maybe I'll be sent back to the Zora Domain once the Hylian prince gets tired of me."

"Don't say that," his companion told him. "I know you don't like him…" There it was again. _I know you don't like me, so you can't be happy about it_, the prince had said. Nico knew he wasn't the happiest person in the castle, but did everybody know he didn't have a good relationship with the prince at this point? "But he's not a bad person. Trust me. And I think he's going through a lot right now, so it can't hurt trying to be friends with him, Nico."

Right. Except that Nico had absolutely destroyed that chance by betraying Prince Will's trust at the cathedral. He couldn't tell his companion about that. Instead, he looked away and began to make his way toward the resting chambers. "Whatever. I don't really care about the prince," he muttered, trying to brush his companion off.

His companion sighed. "Whatever you're feeling, please don't take it out on the prince," they said, and Nico froze. Did they know about what had just transpired? That couldn't be possible, since it hadn't even been ten minutes since he made it back. "He's been having a tough time, especially with that cousin of his."

Of course, his companion couldn't know about what happened at the cathedral. This was about the prince's conceited cousin. "I've seen it," he said. The prince would benefit from a thicker skin, he thought, but after seeing his prayers, he didn't think it was fair of him to say that when Prince Will was clearly feeling miserable about himself.

"You've only been here for two weeks, so maybe you haven't seen much yet, but you should know that the prince's cousin is making advances for the throne of Olympia."

That was alarming news to him. "He wants to usurp Prince Will? Isn't that a rebellion?" In that case, he would have to be readying himself for civil war, and with the omen of Gaea's imminent rise looming over their heads, that was a dreadful thought.

"I don't know if this is true, but the gossip says that he's not doing it using the military power," his companion explained, alleviating Nico's fears somewhat. "He's been undermining Prince Will's authority by attacking people's faiths in him. Since the prince spends so much of his time on archery and physical training, he's saying that the prince enjoys playing as a knight more than accepting his responsibilities as a prince, and that civilian lives will be lost because of his irresponsible attitude. As far as I know, he's trying to destroy Prince Will's reputation as the sun's heir."

So that was why the court seemed to be so fixated on the prince's lack of powers. And Nico had directly contributed to the mounting amount of pressure that Prince Will was feeling when he should have swallowed his pride and tried to take the role of the prince's confidant.

He wasn't sure how he would be able to face the prince with dignity ever again after today.

[o]

_Central Olympia_

Crenel Hills, Present Day

[o]

Nico dismounted his newly acquired horse, patting its mane and offering it an apple from his pouch. "Are you sure that this is a safe place to leave them?" he asked.

Meg waved him off, not even giving him a glance. "They'll be fine. The only things here are storm spirits, and the _venti_ at the top of the hills only attack Hylians anyway."

That wasn't so reassuring, but he hoped the kid knew what she was talking about. Now they only had to look forward to the infiltration and rescue mission she had planned.

Their journey to the castle had been a quiet one, following dirt paths that had been left untrodden for so long that weeds and tall grass nearly covered the entire road. The wandering merchants grew far fewer the closer they got to the castle, and they even had to stop to save a few civilians from a group of ambushing karpoi. Now that only a river and a stretch of land separated them from the plagued castle, Nico wondered if he should have turned back when he had the chance.

He just wasn't confident in his powers so far. While they had stopped whenever they spotted a glowing shrine, with Meg waiting outside and Nico earnestly trying to attain the Spirit Orbs, he didn't think he was getting any stronger. Sparring with Meg and her enchanted twin scimitars had proven to him that he still had a lot to work on. It would be shocking if people found out that the hero in legends couldn't even best a twelve-year-old girl.

"Okay, in your defense," Meg had said after she knocked Nico's weapon out of his hands, "I'd been training for a long time. But you still suck."

Nico grimaced at the memory of her words, turning to look at the castle past the moat. Even in the daylight, it was wrapped in heavy tendrils of dark smoke. Four large pillars that bore the same constellation designs as the ones Nico encountered in the shrines were raised at a slanted angle from each corner, the light gleaming a malevolent magenta instead of the familiar cool blue. At this distance, he could see Guardians of the flying variety incessantly scanning the castle grounds for intruders, running in automated circles around the entire castle, making it a nearly impenetrable fortress.

His hesitation must have shown on his face because Meg gave a huff of annoyance. "Come on, let's stop wasting time here," she said, ambling down the hill with Nico having no choice but to follow.

"Once we cross the bridge, we're in no man's land," Meg told him with a kind of calm cheerfulness that Nico wished he possessed. "It's a Guardian's free for all out there."

"You sound like you've been here often," Nico pointed out.

Meg shrugged. "I loot the castle sometimes. There's always someone looking to buy antiques. Easy money." Even while she said all that in a bored tone, Nico didn't miss the way Meg fidgeted with the two rings she wore on her hand. The rings, Nico had discovered when they were travelling, were actually her weapons enchanted by nymphs to transform back and forth. Her anxiousness was obvious. No matter how many times she had been here, she wasn't immune to the fear that Guardians instilled in her. He himself could still remember their deadly laser gaze all the way back from the Eastern Abbey. If that was frightening, the ones here had all six legs and were fully functional. He didn't want to imagine the speed they could run at if he was spotted.

He concentrated on breathing in order to calm down while they crossed the bridge. Things would have been easier if it were the nighttime. If anything went south, he could grab Meg and shadow travel back to the hills to regroup. But Meg had refused to delay her rescue mission any longer that she had to.

Then again, Nico thought, if he was unwilling to infiltrate the castle, he could always just leave Meg. After they left Kakariko Village, he had told her that his quest wasn't to save the prince just yet, since he still needed to free the Divine Beasts from Gaea's hold before he could even begin to approach the angered goddess.

Meg hadn't seemed surprised about that, like she knew all along that his initial plan wasn't to head straight to the castle. "Cool," she had said while leading the way through an empty green field on horseback. "I still need to save my friend. You're the hero of Olympia after all, aren't you?" she said, utilizing that title like a weapon.

Nico was starting to really hate being called that.

"You know," Meg added, "Before you came back, I thought that Gaea was going to kill us all before the hero could wake up. I didn't think the hero actually existed."

_You and me the same_, Nico thought, but he remained silent.

"That's why I started training, you know. I hate that dumb destiny stuff about waiting for a prophesized hero. So, I took it up and started calling myself the new hero of Olympia."

Nico turned to give her a surprised look. She only smirked back. "Somebody's got to save the day, right? Anyway, I'm not going back to being a defenseless civilian, just so you know."

Two heroes of Olympia didn't sound so bad, Nico thought with a smile. But that didn't mean he could put off his responsibility. His main task was to defeat Gaea and save Prince Will, no matter what. Nico couldn't forget that.

Meg's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "We can enter from there," she said, pointing at the collapsed section of the stone walls that once surrounded the flourishing town outside of the castle. "Be careful though, that one is live." She pointed at the Guardian half-buried in the rubble beside the gap. "We'd have to make a break for it."

"And there's that one too," Nico reminded her, nodding his head at the functional Guardian Stalker just a little further south of the broken wall, the glowing blue lines of the machine's inner workings interlaced with the same deep magenta colour as the ones on the pillars. The large machine crawled back and forth on its six legs, head rotating almost a whole 360 degrees each time it stopped to scan its surroundings. Nico could hear the distant _clank, clank, clank_ of its legs treading on the ruined ground, and he shuddered. They may have been designed to assist the fight against Gaea eons ago, but he couldn't see them as anything but extremely dangerous enemies now.

"That'll be easy," Meg said, brushing off his concerns. "Just wait for it to be far away and then we run."

That sounded reckless to Nico, but he didn't have any other ideas to offer at the moment. "On the count of three?" he offered to the girl.

But he should have known not to count on consistency with her. "Now!" she said, dashing forward so quickly that Nico was left behind in the dust for a confused moment. He came to his senses quickly and scurried behind her toward the collapsed wall, trying to ignore the frightening sound of the buried Guardian waking up and training its sight on the two of them, its working parts clacking loudly against each other inside the machine.

The second he made it inside the ruins of Castle Town, he leapt to his right, allowing the remaining parts of the barrier shield him from the decayed Guardian. He could hear the Guardian end its firing preparations, its head spinning around in place and looking for its target before it finally stopped, leaving a silence punctuated with the far-off clanging of the other machines. Nico crouched over and panted, his heart still thrumming so loudly in his chest that he thought it would explode.

He was certain… He was certain that in the past – how he died – it had something to do with the Guardians.

"This is just the beginning, hero-o," Meg said, patting him awkwardly on the shoulder. "Our goal is to reach the castle interiors. Let's go."

Right, this task wasn't going to be over with a simply hiding from a stationary Guardian. Nico pulled himself together, finally taking his first real look at the remains of the ruined town. He had expected it to be bad after hearing the tales Chiron and Apollo had told him…but it hadn't prepared him for the shocking sight.

This was the first place Gaea struck when the calamity happened, and the evidence laid all around them in its emptiness. Castle Town had been completely razed into the ground, barely a trace of the original form remaining. Skeletal buildings remained in halves with broken pieces of wood and stone scattered everywhere. The patches of grass that had managed to grow over the hundred years in the cracks of the cement were short and burnt back. Thankfully, Nico didn't see any leftover bones or recent bodies from curious travellers, but he did see something else that made bile rise to his throat.

Large puddles of black and magenta goo covered the ground in swathes, bubbling slowly while dark steam rose from it to surround the castle. Even from here, he could smell the sickly scent of something unpleasant burning. And right in the center of the nearest puddle, a single large golden eye made out of the same guck hung above it, staring at him. It blinked.

"What _is_ that?" Nico said out loud, turning to look at Meg for answers. She obviously frequented the castle, but even she looked disturbed by the puddles.

"That's Gaea's poison. Her Ichor," Meg explained. "But there's usually not this much…," she said, almost to herself.

In other words, like Chiron and Apollo had expected, Gaea was steadily growing stronger now that Prince Will's power was weakening.

"Let's continue moving," Nico found himself saying. He couldn't forget that he had a time limit on this quest of his. The evidence of what would happen if Gaea broke free was all around him, and he wouldn't let that happen to the people of Olympia now that he had been given a second chance to amend this failure. He couldn't let it happen again.

"Yeah," Meg mumbled. She took a deep breath and exhaled, focusing back on her mission. "I know they're keeping him in the dining hall, past the moat in that building up there," she explained. "The main entrance is too dangerous. We'll probably have to swim."

Nico wasn't too enthused at the thought of that, but with all the Guardians around, he expected the main entrance to be a death trap. "Then lead the way," he said with a nod.

The two of them walked north, sticking closely to the wall in case a Guardian suddenly popped out of nowhere, but it was suspiciously quiet. Even though Nico could hear the sounds of roaming Guardians, Castle Town seemed to be blissfully empty. Since most of the buildings had been destroyed or burnt down, they would be able to spot any Guardian coming at them from the other side of town, but Nico remained tense.

The northern wall of the Castle Town ruins was coming into sight now, and Nico felt like there was an itch in his head that he couldn't scratch. There was something burning in his mind the more he walked around in the ruins, and without realizing what he was doing, he found himself turning left, heading towards the raised ground in the shape of a rectangle that must have once been the foundation of a large building. An inert Guardian laid a few feet away with its legs sprawled out in all directions beneath it, devoid of life.

He could vaguely hear Meg calling after him, but the pain in his head was growing sharper now. He stood at the center of the empty foundation, trying to decipher what his brain was trying to tell them. A few dirty ceramic pots were gathered in the corner, untouched for a century. Besides that, there was no other indication that there was ever a building here.

Except that… Nico could remember the dark cathedral.

The memories flooded his mind: his estranged relationship with the prince when they were both sixteen and the absolute control and ease that he held over his powers. He remembered the cruelty he had used against the prince and the way he had fled like a coward after that, not wanting to see the consequences of his words. Nico blinked a couple of times while the memories settled into his head, leaving a dull ringing in his ears.

Once again, the same question popped up in his mind again: exactly what was his relationship to the crown prince of Olympia? He had assumed the animosity between them when they were children had dissipated when they got older, but his memories told him otherwise. If anything, Nico had been even more abrasive at sixteen than when he was ten, aggravated by even the slightest thing the prince did. Had something happened between them to make their relationship so strained? He couldn't begin to speculate about that.

He felt disconnected from the past, like he was watching distorted images through the murky waters that left him more bereft of the history he couldn't grasp. Now that the memories had awoken, the sight of Castle Town in shambles did nothing more than to fuel his dread and hopelessness. This place had once been a lively epicentre of Olympia, now reduced to rubble and ash, and crawling with mechanical abominations while the ground was caked in poisonous Ichor.

Everyone had their hopes pinned onto him now, but after remembering the ease that he used his powers in the past… Nico had to admit that he felt even more like an imposter with the more he remembered. The _real_ Nico was out there somewhere – a hostile and detached knight who wielded a legendary blade and had a poor relationship with the prince he was supposed to serve. _That_ was who the dark hero was.

But what did that mean for the memories of the night at Kakariko Village when they had been surrounded by fireflies? Nico could feel a headache incoming.

Fortunately, he didn't have to think about it any longer.

"Watch out!" Meg screamed, and Nico was jerked back into reality. It was only then that he noticed the dead Guardian laying beside the remains of the cathedral hadn't been dead after all.

The machine lit up with life, legs lifting its body up from the ground as its head rotated to look straight at Nico, its singular blue eye ringed by a band of magenta. The Guardian buzzed, initializing its laser, a red dot pointing at Nico's chest.

He swore, running to the side, but there was no real cover, especially from a mobile Guardian that had all its legs intact.

"Run in zigzags!" Meg was calling to him from a distance. He looked around, but he couldn't see where she was. "It can't hit you if you move out the way last minute!"

Nico followed her tip just in time, darting to the side just as the Guardian released its blast. He gritted his teeth when the furious heat of the laser barely skimmed his back, and he forced himself to run faster when he heard the sound of the Guardian retraining its sight on him.

He had heard from travellers on the road about the horrors of the Guardians Stalkers. Once they saw you, you were pretty much as good as dead unless you managed to a quick escape. At this point, he wasn't sure where he was running to until he spotted Meg in her vivid green dress waving at him with both arms. She stood behind one of the large pillars that surrounded the castle, right at the edge of the moat. "We have to get over there!" she called, pointing past the moat to the other side where there was a patch of ground just slightly above the water level.

Then without waiting for him, she turned around and jumped straight into the dark water, resurfacing after a second to swim with an intensity against the current to the other side.

The Guardian was still close behind him, and he hoped that it wouldn't be able to pinpoint him in the water. He ducked behind the pillar to get cover for a moment before the Guardian could catch up, staring at the black water. The current in the moat was fast and rushing downstream. If Nico couldn't fight against it, then he would be swept into Hylia River and drawn far away from the castle. He could leave, he thought, and blame it on not being able to swim fast enough.

No, Nico couldn't leave her like this. He didn't feel like the hero that everyone thought him to be, but he would be damned if he didn't at least try to help someone who was trying to be a hero herself. If saving Olympia was too ambitious now, he could try to begin with helping Meg save her friend from Gaea's lair.

With the sound of the Guardian Stalker scuttering across the ground behind him, he made his resolve and dove down into the cold water.

He could feel the current pulling him backwards immediately, trying to push him away from the castle. With a few strong kicks, he pushed his head above the surface, gasping when the air entered his lungs. The sword slung to his back felt immeasurably heavy in the water, and a part of him wished that he could just drop it. Nico fought against the current, using all the strength he had in his arms and legs to propel him forward to his destination. He didn't turn around to look, but it sounded like the Guardian Stalker had retreated the moment he jumped into the moat, probably because it was unable to see him anymore.

His legs were cramping, and it felt like much too long before he was able to reach the low platform, grabbing onto the ledge and hoisting himself up with the last bit of strength he had in his arms. He sputtered, crouching on his knees and massaging the aching muscles in his legs. Meanwhile, Meg was twisting the water out of her dress, her glasses dotted with water droplets. She sniffed, giving Nico a look of disapproval.

"What were you even doing back there?" Meg grumbled. "You could have gotten us killed."

Yeah, Nico knew that. He was kind of getting the trick to some of the Guardians now: play dead, and then awaken the moment a victim wanders too close. His hands were still shaking from the close call. "How do you take those things down?" he asked, getting up on his feet. So far, all they had done was run. There had to be an easier way to get rid of them. In the shrines, Nico had simply hacked away at the small ones with his sword, but he wasn't so sure if that would work on something that was about three times his size.

Meg grimaced. "You don't," she answered simply. "You either run or you die because you're stupid. Let's get up there now," she said glancing up at the castle on the higher ground.

Nico looked up see an open terrace hanging above their heads about thirty feet high. A quick survey of the area they were on showed a less steep platform where they could make their way up, but Nico was wary of the castle walls surrounding them like a fortress. He could see a Guardian stationed at the turret, its singular eye scanning the abandoned castle grounds. In fact, the whole place was swarming with Guardians. He could hear the clicking of the Guardians flying overhead in rotations. It would be dangerous to stay in one place without cover.

And then, Nico felt the ground rumble.

Meg yelped, trying to keep her balance at the earth's sudden quaking, and Nico glanced up at the top of the castle, his stomach sinking at the sight.

The dark smoke had pulled itself into the shape of a large woman, tinged in shades of magenta. She loomed over like castle almost like a loving mother, her lips curled into a serene smile and her eyes closed.

_Hero of Olympia_, she crooned, the smoke moving to create the shape of her lips opening and closing in speech. _How much longer will your sweet prince have to wait for you? He can only stall for so long before I break free. Come. End this pathetic struggle now so I can finally rain down my vengeance on all of Olympia_.

Gaea laughed, and Nico felt anger stir in his chest. He couldn't let Prince Will down, but he knew right now that he wouldn't be strong enough to fight her and win.

_Or maybe, I can just finish you right now_, she mused, the tendrils of black and magenta smoke coming together to form a large fist. Nico took a step backwards, but now that he was in her domain, he had no idea how he was going to escape. Coming here had been a poor idea, no matter what heroic ideals he had in mind.

But before she could do whatever she had planned, a blinding light shone from the upmost tower of the castle, cutting into Gaea's form and shattering her into pieces. Nico put an arm over his eyes, shielding himself from a light that was almost as bright as the sun.

And there it was again – a barely whispered voice like the one that had woke him up, except this time, he thought he could hear it say his name. He waited for something else to come, but the bright flash gave way to the daylight, voice fading away and falling back into a silence interrupted by the sound of roaming Guardians.

Nico would have thought that was all a hallucination if Meg didn't look just as shaken by the whole thing. "Was that –?"

"Yeah," Nico said gravely. "Gaea is getting stronger," Nico said. _And the prince is getting weaker_. "I can't fight her now. Not in this state." He only had one chance remaining, meaning that losing was not an option. He shot one last look at the top of the castle, gauging in a distance that felt like it couldn't be breached – for now, at least. _Wait for me, Prince Will_, he thought. Then he turned to look at Meg. "Let's just save your friend."

Meg nodded in agreement, but the atmosphere had gotten morose after meeting Gaea. They pulled themselves from the shore onto the lower castle grounds where the walls were with Meg taking the lead. So far, they had managed to stay out of sight, but Nico was certain that there were Guardians on higher ground that could scope them out if they stepped too far out into the open. Meg motioned him toward the entrance into the turret, where for the stone interior and narrow openings kept them safe from roving Guardians.

"Once we make it up on top, we'll be out in the open. There's a Guardian on top of the turret. It can't walk, but it'll definitely be able to see us. We'll have to run along the walls from this end. It'll take us to the terrace," Meg said, half to Nico and half to herself. Nico grimaced, looking at the young girl. While he realized that while she was courageous, she definitely wasn't immune to the fear that plagued her when setting foot in the corrupted castle. He had to keep her safe from harm.

"I'll stay behind you," Nico told her. Meg's head jerked up to look at him in surprise. "As long as we keep moving, we'll be fine even if they spot us," he said, reiterating her advice.

She opened her mouth as if to protest but then she closed it, giving a determined nod and starting up the left ladder to the top of the castle walls. From this side, they would be given a direct path to the dining hall terrace. With enough luck, they would be able to make it inside unscathed. It was simple enough, Nico thought.

But it only took a few seconds for things to go completely wrong.

Since the Guardian was placed on the turret facing outwards, Nico had expected that the stone structure in the centre of the turret to cover them or at least give them time to escape detection. However, the Guardian sensed them the minute Meg stepped out into the open. Nico had only a second to see the red dot focused on her back before he leapt out, shielding her body with his own. He didn't want to think about the implications of what it meant for him, only that he couldn't let her die here.

Meg turned her head, her eyes filled with panic, but Nico only pushed forward. "Keep running!" he said, and she tore her eyes away, running even faster toward the terrace. There were no hiding places in sight on the narrow path and running in an uneven pattern could create an opening for the laser to hit Meg. They would just have to reach the interior before it fired, Nico thought, but that task was looking harder and harder now. The terrace was a lot further than he had expected it to be, and there was still a flight of stairs at the end of the castle walls that they had to climb up to the dining room floor. The stairs were also completely open, meaning that they were still within the Guardian's firing radius.

They wouldn't make it. He wouldn't make it. The Guardian had its laser charged and it was getting ready to shoot. There was no way this wasn't going to hit Nico.

He was going to fail again, just like what happened one hundred years ago. He would fail Prince Will once again. He wasn't the hero everyone had spoken about.

But even so, he wasn't going to give up. If there was something that he could do – anything – he had to fight back at least to give Meg and her friend a secured escape route. Nico drew his sword from the scabbard, turning around just in time for the Guardian to let loose a blinding white blast of concentrated heat.

Nico's arm went on autopilot, bringing up his blade and slashing down like he was parrying a blow. There was a second where he felt the heat almost brushing against his face until his sword connected with the beam, screeching like it was colliding with another blade. And then it flung the laser's trajectory backwards, heading straight for the Guardian that shot it.

He could only stare in shock when the blast returned to the Guardian, hitting it in the eye with a fatal _BANG!_ that shook the ground. The Guardian's head twitched back and forth, like it was trying to understand what had just happened before the inner lights flickered and it exploded, pieces of scraps and metal raining down all around it.

What just happened?

"What happened?" Meg echoed, staring at Nico in shock. He looked down at his blade, which, while it was not shiny new, didn't look the slightest bit damaged from deflecting a hit like that.

An unbidden smile made its way onto Nico's lips. "I think we just found a way to defeat those things," he said. But they didn't have a chance to relish in their victorious discovery – a sudden horrible screeching emerged from the dining room. The two of them exchanged a look before tearing up the stairs to the terrace and running inside what used to be Olympia Castle's dining hall.

After a hundred years of disuse and neglect, the tablecloths and plush carpet was faded and in tatters. There was still shattered glass all over the floor, and the distinct scent of rot and death permeated the large hall so heavily that Nico gagged.

But the most concerning part were the monsters in the room.

There were five of them in total: four of the same minotaurs that Nico had avoided back in the woods when he first left the Great Plateau, and a single peach and green karpos. Though there was something strange about the situation: the karpos had been hung upside down by the minotaurs, swinging back and forth on the old chandelier while it let out the most ear-piercing screams.

"Peaches!" Meg cried, and all five of them turned to look at her. _Peaches_?

Apparently the karpos recognized that. "Peaches!" the karpos yelled back, kicking and struggling in midair. Nico felt like he was missing something. Meg was here to rescue her friend, but he had no idea why she was calling out to a karpos with such familiarity –

_Oh_. Now he got it. She hadn't been talking about rescuing a Hylian friend. It was a karpos the entire time. And she had conveniently left out that detail when she enlisted him to join her in her two-person army.

But Nico didn't have time to get angry now. The minotaurs roared, turning their attention away from the karpos and onto the two of them. Meg summoned her twin scimitars, holding it out in front of her like she was daring them to charge.

On the other hand, Nico decided to strike first, rushing forward with a speed he didn't know he possessed and slashing away at the nearest minotaur who bellowed in pain when Nico's sword cut into its gut. It hadn't been deep enough to kill immediately, and he used his momentum to jump up and thrust the sword through its skull with as much force as he could muster. He could feel it disintegrating immediately, but he didn't have a chance to feel good about that before the second minotaur's arm reached out to punch him across the room.

He smashed into the wall with a groan, the impact making his head spin. If he hadn't been wearing a tunic enhanced with dragon scales, he might have cracked a rib or two. Nico got up unsteadily to his feet, tightening his hand around the hilt of his sword, watching the minotaur approach him slowly like it was cornering a trapped rat.

He launched himself forward again, slashing at the minotaur's face. It cried out, bringing its arms up while it took a few steps back, allowing Nico room to step forward again and stab the minotaur deep in the chest. It let out a dying roar before it also disintegrated into nothing. Nico huffed, exhaustion suddenly sinking into his bones now that the adrenaline was over. He had exerted too much strength too quickly, he thought bitterly. He still needed more practice. Meg seemed to have taken care of the other two minotaurs, now using her blades to cut away at the ropes restraining the karpos.

Right. Her friend that needed saving.

Meg looked up when Nico's shadow loomed over her, giving him a half-smile despite whatever dark expression was on his face right now. "So, your 'friend' was…a karpos," Nico stated, his voice blank.

"Peaches!" the karpos said, mouth stretched out into maniacally wide grin. Nico could only stare at it.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Meg said, not sounding very sorry at all. "I knew you weren't going to come if I told you straight off the bat, but I swear to Hylia that Peaches isn't one of Gaea's followers. He's with me."

"It has a name?" Nico asked incredulously. The karpos – Peaches – gave him a hiss like it was offended that he didn't think it had a name.

Meg sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "I know you're mad. Because you almost died. But hey, at least we figured a way to defeat the Guardians," Meg said almost flippantly. "But before you get mad at me, I didn't ask you to come here without anything in return. Since you came to help me, I can give you information."

Nico couldn't even muster the energy to be mad. "I'll bite," he said with a sigh. There was nothing to lose at this point if he had already completed Meg's karpos rescue mission. "Just what do you want to tell me?"

Meg's grin grew wider. "I didn't call myself the new hero of Olympia just because I felt like it. Your true sword – the Stygian blade. I've been researching into it. Don't you want to know where it is now?"

* * *

**End Notes**: (I removed the segment about shields from way earlier. I don't see Nico as a sword + shield user, and I think his style is more using a single-handed sword for both attacking & blocking, which is why he doesn't use a shield to fight the Guardians here. For people who have never played botw, I know laser deflection is like, unbelievable and probably breaks physics lol, but this fic's action sequences follows game logic and that's how it works)

Also, I am a bit curious, do you guys tend to like the [memories/past] + relationships scenes better or the present + [wilds/exploration] scenes better? Just out of curiosity, since the two of them have been written with slightly different moods so far.


End file.
